Dole's lead continues to shrink

There are a few races that I really, really want to see Democrats win. The obvious ones are the Florida governor's race and the Texas Senate race. But not to far behind is the North Carolina Senate race -- I would REALLY love to see North Carolina voters kick Dole right out of their state.

While most observers had given up on this race a long time ago (leading me to do the same, lemming that I am), a spate of recent polls have indicated this will be a tight race. On that count, the latest Mason-Dixon poll didn't disappoint.

Republican Elizabeth Dole continues to lose footing against Democrat Erskine Bowles in the U.S. Senate race to replace Jesse Helms, according to the latest poll.

A survey by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc. released Wednesday showed Dole leading 48 percent to 42 percent.

Two weeks ago, Dole led by 10 percentage points with 50 percent of likely voters surveyed to 40 percent for Bowles. And a Mason-Dixon poll taken in September had Dole leading by 14 points.

This race is now statistically tied, with momentum clearly on Bowles side. The question thus becomes whether Bowles has enough time left in the campaign to make up the difference. And one interesting subplot: Bowles' lead among Democrats is only 67-23 percent. His candidacy may depend on his ability to bring those Democrats home.

This race also has repercussions for 2004, as a Senator Dole would provided a GOP counterweight to a presidential candidate Edwards. That's probably one big reason Edwards has enthusiastically backed Bowles in the election, despite the risk of looking silly and impotent if Dole wins.

Posted October 30, 2002 05:37 PM | Comments (49)