Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO) remains within striking distance of Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) in Missouri’s red hot U.S. Senate race, according to a poll released Friday night.
The poll, conducted by Mason-Dixon on behalf of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the Kansas City Star, shows McCaskill holding a slim lead over Akin among likely Missouri voters 45 percent to 43 percent. Libertarian candidate Jonathan Dine, a potential spoiler for Akin, picks up 4 percent in the poll.
Akin continues to battle low personal popularity. The poll shows only 28 percent of Missouri voters have a favorable view of the six-term member of Congress, while 42 percent have an unfavorable view. McCaskill own personal standing among her constituents isn’t much better: 40 percent of voters view the freshman senator favorably, but 47 percent view her unfavorably.
In Mason-Dixon’s previous poll of the race — conducted shortly after Akin’s infamous remarks about rape and abortion — McCaskill reached 50 percent and led her Republican challenger by 9 points.
The PollTracker Average shows McCaskill with a solid advantage over Akin, a lead she has built up steadily over the last month.
