The new Fox News poll of the West Virginia Senate race shows Republican businessman John Raese just holding on to a narrow lead over Democratic Gov. Joe Manchin, in the contest to succeed the late Dem Sen. Robert Byrd.
The numbers: Raese 48%, Manchin 45%. The survey of likely voters has a ±3.8% margin of error. In the previous Fox poll from two weeks ago, Raese had a wider lead of 48%-43%.
Raese had previously enjoyed a strong lead over Manchin, even though the Dem is a very popular governor, because of President Obama’s overwhelming unpopularity in the state. However, Raese’s momentum was recently blunted as a result of an ad from his own party, via the National Republican Senatorial Committee, that was taped in Philadelphia using a casting call for “hicky” looking actors.
The TPM Poll Average gives Manchin an edge of 46.5%-45.7%.
