Sullivan narrowly trails Begich in internal poll

Alaska Senate candidate Dan Sullivan (R) trails Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska) by a narrow margin, according to an internal poll for Sullivan’s campaign obtained by The Hill.

{mosads}Begich leads Sullivan by 44 percent to 42 percent, according to the live-caller poll conducted by GOP pollster Moore Information, the latest sign of a tight race in the conservative state.

Sullivan also has a big lead over his primary rivals, according to the poll. He pulls 38 percent support to 22 percent for Alaska Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell (R) and 12 percent for 2010 Senate nominee Joe Miller (R).

Sullivan’s pollster says the numbers show he’s in a strong position to win this fall, arguing that he’s held up well under early Democratic attacks and pointing to the fact that most voters who were undecided in the poll don’t like President Obama.

Internal polls should always be taken with a grain of salt, and the polling memo doesn’t include a breakdown of Obama’s standing in the state or whether more undecided voters dislike Obama than those who’ve already made up their minds about the race. But the poll indicates a tight race in the top-targeted state.

The live-caller poll of 500 registered voters, using landlines and cellphones, was conducted from April 27-28 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percent.