Republican Joni Ernst appears to be solidifying her slim lead over Democratic Rep. Bruce Braley in the hotly contested Iowa Senate race,
according to the latest USA Today/Suffolk University poll.
Ernst leads Braley by 47 percent to 43 percent among likely general election voters, a slight increase on the one-point advantage she has held in recent polls.
Independent Party candidate Rick Stewart, Bob Quast of the Bob Quast for Term Limits party and Libertarian Douglas Butzier all remained at 1 percent. Seven percent said they were undecided. The survey was conducted Oct. 11 through Oct. 14 and has a margin of error is 4.4 percent.
Ernst appeared to strengthen her showing in traditionally Republican areas in the northwest and southwest regions, but also made important gains elsewhere.
"But more importantly, she has closed the gap in the central and northeast region on the backs of ‘no party’ registrants [independents] who are breaking to her by double-digit margins," David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center in Boston, said in a statement.
Ernst's campaign will have some high-profile help in trying to further strengthen her base in the final weeks.
In the coming weeks, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee are all planning to visit the state to campaign on her behalf,
according to The Associated Press.
"With the third party candidates winning just over 2 percent of the vote, this becomes a race to 49 percent. As Ernst is already at 47 percent, Braley can only give away one of the remaining seven undecided points while capturing all of the remaining six undecided points," he added.
A poll released by Quinnipiac University on Wednesday found Ernst with a 47 percent to 45 percent advantage, but also showed independent voters moving toward Braley.
According to the poll, independent voters supported Braley 48 percent to Ernst's 43 percent, which is a change from the 50 percent to 43 percent lead Ernst held in September.
"The twist that makes this Senate race one of the most interesting, in addition to being among the tightest and most important in the country, is the reverse gender gap," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac poll.
In a race that could be decided by the narrowest of margins, it remains unclear what impact the death of Independent Party candidate Dr. Doug Butzier in a plane crash on Monday will have on Election Day.
Butzier, an emergency room physician at Mercy Medical Center in Dubuque, was piloting his plane to Dubuque from Ankeny on Monday night when he encountered stormy weather and attempted to use his instruments to land the plane,
reported KRCG.com.