Republican up narrowly in Alaska race

Former Alaska Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Dan Sullivan (R) has a slight lead on Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska), according to a new automated poll from Democratic-leaning firm Public Policy Polling.

{mosads}Sullivan leads Begich by 42 percent to 40 percent in the poll, with minor-party candidates combining for 5 percent.

Begich’s approval is underwater in the poll, with 42 percent approving and 51 percent disapproving. That’s a worrisome place to be for any incumbent. Begich’s numbers are not much better in the poll of the red state than President Obama’s; he has a 40-percent approval rating and 56-percent disapproval.

Polling in Alaska is notoriously difficult to conduct and unreliable, and automated polls like this that don’t call cellphone users might be even harder to get right, though PPP’s sample includes 20 percent of people without landlines, reached on the Internet. A pair of Democratic polls released in recent weeks have found Begich with a 5-point lead, and no other public polling has been conducted since Sullivan won his primary. Most strategists believe the two are locked in a tight race.

The automated poll of 880 likely voters was conducted from Sept. 18-21.