McCaskill leads Akin by 9, according to internal polling

[Playinghardball]

Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill now holds a 9-point lead over Republican challenger Todd Akin, touching the 50-percent mark in an internal poll conducted for her campaign.

In a memo shared with POLITICO, the pollsters at Kiley & Company write that McCaskill’s lead is built on strong advantages among women and independent voters. She leads Akin overall, 50 percent to 41 percent, with 7 percent of the vote still up for grabs and 2 percent voting for other candidates.

The first-term Democrat has an 18-point advantage among women – no surprise, given the firestorm of controversy surrounding Akin’s comments about pregnancy and rape. McCaskill also leads among independent voters, 51 percent to 28 percent.

The pollster writes that the Missouri electorate continues “to see Akin as being caught up in controversy,” even as the GOP congressman has sought to refocus his campaign on the incumbent. McCaskill has only recently begun to air paid ads attacking Akin for his comments on rape and abortion, now that the deadline for potentially pulling out of the race has passed.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/burns-haberman/2012/10/mccaskill-leads-akin-by-according-to-internal-polling-137147.html?hp=l3

[MadHound]

1. As I said a few weeks ago when hands were being wrung,

That McCaskill was waiting until Akin's point of no return date, the 25th, before she really launched into him. That point came last week and she is starting to unload.

Furthermore, Akin is still suffering from a critical lack of funds, and the first debate was an absolute disaster for him, one that he made worse by being petulant and saying that McCaskill was being unladylike.

The fact is, Akin is going to get hammered in Missouri. However what I would like to see is Missouri go for Obama. Considering that Obama only lost by three thousand votes in Missouri back in '08, I would say the state is in play. What the national party should do is drop some serious money and support into the state. With that, and the large turnout that the McCaskill race is going to bring, Obama could pick up Missouri easily. But for some reason, the folks at the national party level simply don't seem to be interested.

[donco]

4. That point came

and ole Todd responded with..CLair isn't being ladylike. Whatta hoot.

[Strelnikov_]

2. The Tea Party. Bless their pointed little heads. n/t

[Cha]

3. Best Wishes to Senator Claire McCaskill!

[tarheelsunc]

5. Leading by 9 or 90?

How could 41% of the voters in ANY state support that bumbling idiot?

[Auntie Bush]

7. Thank God! That man is a freak!

I just hope Rove's super packs don't persuade people to vote against her. This election can't come quick enough before all those millions are thrown at us.