Iowa State Rep. Josh Turek, a Democrat, is behind Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) by 3 percentage points in the latest poll for the Senate race.
Turek is polling at 45% and Hinson at 48%, according to an Emerson College poll published Thursday. The remaining 7% of respondents are either supporting someone else or remaining undecided.
A previous New York Times/Siena University poll showed Hinson leading her Democratic opponent by 2 points, but a separate survey from Beacon Research and Shaw & Company Research showed Turek ahead by 4 points. Both polls were released in June.
The latest polling numbers show that while Hinson is ahead of Turek, the race is shaping up to be a close one. The margin of error for the Emerson College poll, which received responses from 712 likely voters from Aug. 2 to 4, is 3.7 percentage points.
The two candidates are running to replace retiring Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), who endorsed Hinson in January.
President Donald Trump supported Hinson’s Senate campaign starting last year, and former President Barack Obama endorsed Turek late last month after the state lawmaker clinched the Democratic Party’s nomination in the June 2 primary election.
When it comes to name recognition of statewide candidates among voters polled by Emerson College, 44% of respondents have a favorable view of Hinson, while 42% say the same of Turek.
However, a larger share of Iowa voters dislikes Hinson than Turek. Forty percent of respondents say they have an unfavorable view of the Republican nominee, compared with the Democratic candidate’s 27% figure.
Meanwhile, the new poll shows the Iowa governor’s general election leaning more toward the Democratic contender. Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand, the only Democrat elected to a statewide office, leads Republican candidate Zach Lahn by 5 points at 48% to 43%, respectively.
The polling results are good news for Sand as he seeks to replace outgoing Gov. Kim Reynolds (R-IA). She has remained neutral in the gubernatorial race so far.
OBAMA ENDORSES IOWA REPRESENTATIVE JOSH TUREK FOR US SENATE SEAT
Trump previously endorsed Lahn’s primary opponent, Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-IA), before he was defeated at the ballot box in June. A month after the Republican primary, the president decided to back Lahn and signaled regret over his endorsement of Feenstra.
“The man running against [Feenstra] was all Trump,” Trump told reporters in July. “Had I been given the proper information, which I don’t think I was, I probably would have endorsed the other person or not endorsed at all, but I would have endorsed the other person. The other person was much more Trump, as you know, than Randy.”