The new Rasmussen poll of the West Virginia Senate race gives Republican businessman John Raese a strong lead against Democratic Gov. Joe Manchin, in the race to succeed the late Dem Sen. Robert Byrd.
The numbers: Raese 50%, Manchin 43%. The survey of likely voters has a ±4% margin of error. In the previous Rasmussen poll from last week, Raese was only ahead by 49%-46%.
Despite Manchin’s high popularity, Raese has taken the lead in many polls as a result of President Obama’s deep unpopularity in the state. Raese’s momentum was recently blunted as a result of a fumbled ad from the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which was taped in Philadelphia using a casting call for “hicky” looking actors. But in this poll, at least, he appears to have recovered his footing.
The TPM Poll Average gives Raese a lead of 46.8%-45.6%.
