Polls: Three key southern states lean toward GOP

New NBC News/Marist polls show Republicans with an edge among registered voters in Senate races in Kentucky, Georgia and Louisiana.

{mosads}Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) leads Alison Lundergan Grimes, 50 to 41 percent, in Kentucky.

David Perdue (R) leads Michelle Nunn, 48 to 44 percent in the race for Georgia’s open U.S. Senate seat.

In Louisiana, Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) leads her Republican challengers with 44 percent, the poll found. Rep. Bill Cassidy (R) gets 36 percent support and Rob Maness (R) gets 15 percent.

Landrieu trails both Republicans in a hypothetical runoff, however. Cassidy would have 50 percent support in a head-to-head matchup versus Landrieu’s 45 percent. Maness would also take 50 percent in a runoff compared to Landrieu’s 46 percent, according to the poll.

The pollsters found President Obama was dragging down the Democratic candidates in the three key southern states. His approval is 41 percent in Georgia, 32 percent in Kentucky and 39 percent in Louisiana.