During the hot presidential primary season, polling firms focused on presidential primary outcomes and not too much on congressional elections.
Now there are several new polls on Senate races each day that provide a glimpse of the contests.
There are some very interesting developments in the past few days.
Most surprising – a Kentucky poll showing Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) dead even with his challenger, businessman Brian Lunsford. This is the second poll in a week showing Lunsford catching up. It is rare for party leaders to lose re-election battles in their home states, but it happened to Tom Dashle in South Dakota a few years back.
In another unexpected development, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham (R), who appears to be spending all his time campaigning nationally for John McCain, is now only 9 points ahead of his little known challenger, Bob Conley (D). If nothing else, Graham may have to spend more time in before the home folks instead of taking the McCain pal role.
In two other Senate contests, Oregon and North Carolina, the Democratic challengers may have taken narrow leads over Republican incumbents.
In fact, political guru Stu Rothenberg has moved the Oregon Senate race to “lean takeover” for Jeff Merkley (D).
Nationally, most polls show Barack Obama with a narrow lead after trailing a couple of weeks ago.
Could there be a similar trend in Senate contests? Stay tuned, and check back frequently. This compendium will be undated almost every weekday.
Full polling data after the jump.
N.B. This listing includes mstly media and public polls; party or candidate polls are generally not used unless other polls are unavailable. This listing also tries to avoid automated polls such as Rasmussen except if there is no alternative or to provide alternative numbers. Because all polls have a margin of error in their numbers, they should be taken as useful indicators at the moment the polling is conducted rather than absolute truth. In some instances, conflicting polls will be provided. Numbers may not add up to precisely 100% due to rounding.
Alabama
66% – Sen. Jeff Sessions (R)
31% – Vivian Davis Figures (D)
3% – Undecided
Survey USA poll conducted September 16 – 17, 2008 – 655 likely voters
Alaska
47% – Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich (D)
43% – Sen. Ted Stevens (R)
9% – Undecided, other
Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind poll conducted September 17 -21, 2008 – 601 likely voters
Colorado
48% – Rep. Mark Udall (D)
40% – ex-Rep. Bob Schaffer (R)
12% – Undecided, other
Quinnipiac/Wall Street Journal poll conducted September 14 – 21, 2008 – 1,418 likely voters
Delaware
69% – Sen. Joseph Biden (D)
26% – Christine O’Donnell (R)
6% – Undecided, other
Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind poll conducted September 17 -21, 2008 – 601 likely voters
Georgia
53% – Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R)
36% – Jim Martin (D)
11% – Undecided, other
Survey USA poll conducted September14 – 16, 2008 for Roll Call – 684 likely voters
Idaho
56% – Lt. Gov. James Risch (R)
33% – ex-Rep. Larry LaRocco (D)
11% – Undecided, other
Research 2000 poll conducted September 16 – 17, 2008 for Daily Kos – 500 likely voters
Illlinois
56% – Sen. Dick Durbin (D)
35% – Steve Sauerberg (R)
9% – Undecided
Research 2000 poll conducted September 15 – 18 for St. Louis Post-Dispatch and KMOV-TV – 800 likely voters
Iowa
54% – Sen. Tom Harkin (D)
40% – Christopher Reed (R)
6% – Undecided
Rasmussen poll conducted September 25, 2008 – 700 likely voters
Kansas
55% – Sen. Pat Roberts (R)
35% – former Rep. Jim Slattery (D)
10% – Undecided
SurveyUSA poll conducted September 21 – 22, 2008 – 666 likely voters
Kentucky
45% – Sen. Mitch McConnell (R)
44% – Bruce Lunsford (D)
11% – Undecided, other
Louisville Courier-Journal poll conducted September 22 – 25, 2008 by Mason Dixon – 717 likely voters
Lousiana
46% – Sen. Mary Landrieu (D)
40% – State Treasurer John Kennedy (R)
14% – Undecided
Southern Media and Opinion Research poll conducted June 26 – 28, 2008 – 600 likely voters
Maine
57% – Sen. Susan Collins (R)
38% – Rep. Tom Allen (D)
5% – Undecided
Research 2000 poll conducted September 8-10, 2008 for Daily Kos – 600 likely voters
Michigan
56% – Sen. Carl Levin (D)
28% – state rep. Jack Hoogendyk (R)
16% – Undecided
Detroit News & four television stations poll conducted September 14 – 17, 2008 by EPIC-MRA – 600 likely voters
Massachusetts
65% – Rep. John Kerry (D)
30% – Jeff Beatty (R)
5% – Undecided, other
Rasmussen poll conducted September 23, 2008 – 500 likely voters
Minnesota
49% – Rep. Norm Coleman (R)
42% – Al Franken (D)
9% – Undecided, other
Quinnipiac/Wall Street Journal poll conducted September 14 – 21, 2008 – 1,301 likely voters
Mississippi
48% – Rep. Roger Wicker (R)
43% – ex-Gov. Ronnie Musgrove (D)
9% – Undecided
Research 2000 poll conducted September 8 – 10, 2008 for Daily Kos – 600 likely voters
Montana
64% – Sen. Max Baucus (D)
31% – Mike Lange (R)
6% – Undecided
Rasmussen poll conducted September 7, 2008 – 700 likely voters
Nebraska
56% – ex-Governor Mike Johanns (R)
31% – Scott Kleeb (D)
13% – Undecided
Rasmussen poll conducted July 28, 2008 – 500 likely voters
New Hampshire
52% – Sen. John Sununu (R)
45% – former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen (D)
3% – Undecided
Rasmussen poll conducted September 23, 2008 – 700 likely voters
50% – former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen (D)
41% – Sen. John Sununu (R)
9% – Undecided, other
Research 2000 poll conducted September 22 – 24, 2008 for Concord Monitor – 800 likely voters
New Jersey
48% – Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D)
39% – former Rep. Dick Zimmer (R)
13% – Undecided, other
Marist poll conducted September 10 – 14, 2008 – 1,187 likely voters
New Mexico
56% – Rep. Tom Udall (D)
41% – Rep. Steve Pearce (R)
3% – Undecided
Survey USA poll conducted September 14 – 16, 2008 for KOB-TV – 671 likely voterss
North Carolina
48% – Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R)
42% – Kay Hagan (D)
10% – Undecided, other
Research 2000 poll conducted September 8 – 10 , 2008 for DailyKos – 600 likely voters
48% – Kay Hagan (D)
45% – Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R)
7% – Undecided, other
Rasmussen poll conducted September 23 , 2008 – 500 likely voters
Oklahoma
56% – Sen. Jim Inhofe (R)
34% – Andrew Rice (D)
10% undecided
Research 2000 poll conducted September 16 – 18, 2008 for Daily Kos – 600 likely voters
Oregon
45% – Jeff Merkley (D)
40% – Sen. Gordon Smith (R)
15% – Undecided, other
Research 2000 poll conducted September 22 – 24, 2008 for Daily Kos – 600 likely voters
South Carolina
51% – Sen. Lindsey Graham (R)
42% – Bob Conley (D)
7% – Undecided, other
Research 2000 poll conducted September 221 – 24, 2008 – 600 likely voters
Tennessee
50% – Sen. Lamar Alexander (R)
26% – Bob Tuke (D)
23% – Undecided
Middle Tennessee State University poll conducted September 15 – 27, 2008 – 635 people
Texas
48% – Sen. John Cornyn (R)
37% – Rick Noriega (D)
16% – Undecided
Rasmussen conducted August 21, 2008 – 500 likely voters
Virginia
61% – ex-Gov. Mark Warner (D)
29% – ex-Gov. Jim Gilmore (R)
10% – Undecided, other
ABC News/Washington Post poll conducted September 18 -21, 2008 – 857 registered voters
West Virginia
61% – Sen. Jay Rockefeller ( D)
33% – Jay Wolfe (R)
6% – Undecided, other
Rasmussen conducted September 24, 2008 – 500 likely voters
Wyoming 1
58% – Sen. John Barrasso (R)
34% – Nick Carter (D)
8% – Undecided, other
Wyoming 2
59% – Sen John Enzi (R)
35% – Chris Rothfuss (D)
6% – Undecided, other
Research 2000 poll conducted for both seats September 22 – 24, 2008 for Daily Kos – 500 likely voters
