A new poll shows Democrat Timothy M. Kaine about even with Republican opponent and fellow former Gov. George Allen in Virginia's 2012 U.S. Senate race.
The survey of Virginia voters from left-leaning Public Policy Polling shows Kaine edging Allen 46 to 43 percent, within the poll's 4.4 percentage point margin of error.
While the two have nearly identical support among party loyalists, Kaine has a 44 to 33 percent edge among independents, according to the poll.
It also shows Kaine with a higher favorability rating than Allen (42-34) and a lower disapproval rating (40-44). Tea-party Republican candidate Jamie Radtke's challenge was obvious, with 79 percent of those polled having no opinion.
"It's obviously a poor sign when even a liberal polling firm with a history of donating to national Democrats shows former Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine's approval rating under 50 percent," responded Jahan Wilcox, a spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
The poll also looked at the possibility of Radtke knocking off Allen in the primary, in which case Kaine's lead grows to 16 points (47-31). Additional GOP primary numbers will be available today.
"Even as (President) Barack Obama's numbers in the state have worsened over the last three months, the state of the Senate race has remained the same," said Dean Debnam, president of Public Policy Polling. "This is a contest that seems likely to stay tight all the way to Election Day, regardless of changes in the political winds."
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