SurveyUSA (9/17-18, likely voters, 7/30-31 in parens):
Kay Barnes (D): 42 (44)
Sam Graves (R-inc): 51 (48)
Dave Browning (L): 4 (-)
Undecided: 4 (2)
(MoE: ±4%)
Graves is back on top with a decent lead over former Kansas City Mayor Kay Barnes. Interestingly, this poll offers a bit of a course correction in its sample of young voters; in July, SUSA showed Graves with a monster 52-37 lead among 18-34 year-olds (a recurring issue in many SUSA polls we’ve seen this year), but now finds Barnes ahead in that age bracket by 47-40. However, the new poll also finds Barnes backsliding among 35-64 year-olds.
There’s no question that Graves is a gay-baiting (and I’d even say race-baiting, based on this ad) neanderthal who deserves to lose, but he’s already smacking his chops over his next hit on Barnes: she was a (gasp!) sexuality consultant in the 1970s!
SSP currently rates this race as Lean Republican.
I thought the financial crisis would help us in races like this.
Women voters:
This poll:
Graves – 47
Barnes – 44
http://www.surveyusa.com/clien…
Last poll:
Barnes – 54
Graves – 37
http://www.surveyusa.com/clien…
That is a MASSIVE swing. Has McCain/Palin been campaigning in or near the 6th district within days of this poll? That’s the only explanation I can think of for the big swing. Hopefully it will wear off with Palin’s favorables declining pretty rapidly.