Iowa state Sen. Joni Ernst (R) leads Rep. Bruce Braley (D-IA) 49 percent to 46 percent among likely voters in the Iowa race for U.S. Senate, according to a new NBC News/Marist poll released Sunday.
That’s a slight increase from earlier this month when Ernst was leading Braley 46 percent to 44 percent, according to the poll.
Ernst’s lead is partially due to a lead among independents, where she is ahead 49 percent to 41 percent. Braley, meanwhile, leads among early voters 52 percent to 47 percent, the poll found.
The new poll was conducted from Oct 18 to Oct. 22 among 772 likely voters. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
