Poll: Bredesen, Blackburn in dead heat in Tennessee Senate race

Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) is tied with former Gov. Phil Bredesen (D) in a new poll of the closely-watched Tennessee Senate race.

The survey conducted by East Tennessee State University on Friday shows that both Bredesen and Blackburn have the support of 44 percent of likely voters polled, according to The Tennessean.

{mosads}The newspaper notes that the poll did not include information on the percentage of likely voters that remain undecided. 

The ETSU survey shows Bredesen with a substantial lead over Blackburn among independent voters. Forty-six percent of independents polled said they preferred Bredesen, while 35 percent favored Blackburn. 

Bredesen and Blackburn are vying to fill the seat Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) who chose not to run for reelection. 

Polls have recently shown Blackburn to have a comfortable lead over the former Democratic governor, who served from 2003 until 2011. An Emerson College poll released on Thursday showed Blackburn with an 8-point lead over Bredesen among likely voters in the sample. 

The survey revealed that 3 percent of voters remained undecided. 

President Trump, who has endorsed Blackburn, is scheduled to visit Tennessee on Sunday for a campaign rally, an event that will occur just two days before the general election. 

The ETSU survey was conducted between Oct. 22 and Oct. 29 among a population of 610 likely voters. It has a margin of error of 4 percentage points.