Dem poll: Grimes ties McConnell

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is tied with Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes in a new Democratic poll of the Kentucky Senate race.

According to the poll, conducted for MoveOn.org Political Action by Democratic firm Lake Research Partners, McConnell and Grimes each take 37 percent support. About a fifth of voters are still undecided.

{mosads}And McConnell continues to have low popularity in the state, with 52 percent polled viewing him unfavorably, while 42 percent view him favorably.

A plurality of respondents, 47 percent, say they’d like to replace McConnell, while 27 percent say they’ll reelect him.

McConnell still holds a hefty lead over his GOP primary challenger, Matt Bevin, taking 50 percent to Bevin’s 17 percent support — but still nearly three-quarters of respondents say they have no opinion of Bevin.

He recently nabbed the endorsement of the Senate Conservatives Fund, and Republicans privately admit if SCF engages heavily in the race he could at least cause McConnell a headache in the primary, when they’d much rather be preparing for the general.

There, Republicans are still confident McConnell will again win reelection, despite his dismal approval rating and an overall national discontent with the party he leads.

But Democrats have made Kentucky their top targeted race for 2014 and insist that Lundergan Grimes has a shot against McConnell, citing multiple polls — five in a row, including this one — that show her either tied with or leading the incumbent.

The survey was conducted among 603 likely general election voters from Oct. 24-29 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.