Republican U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is holding a slight lead of 45-41 percent in the fight against Democratic challenger Alison Lundergan Grimes in Kentucky, where enthusiasm and party loyalty are ranked almost equally between the political parties, according to a
new Fox News poll.
According to the poll of 706 likely voters, 77 percent of Democrats said they plan to vote for Grimes, and 78 percent of Republicans said they'll vote for McConnell. The veteran senator garnered two-to-one support from independents, giving him the edge in the poll, which carried a margin of error of +/- 3.5 points.
About three out of 10 voters from each party said they are "extremely" interested in the election. In addition, 86 percent of Grimes' supporters said they are certain to vote for her, with 88 percent of McConnell's supporters being certain of their vote.
Men were more likely to back McConnell, by 11 points, with women picking Grimes by 2 points. Tea party support will also prove powerful in Kentucky, where just over a third of the voters saying they favor the movement. Of those voters, 72 percent said they favor McConnell.