It doesn't look good for Republican Senator Lincoln Chafee, whose support has gone from bad to worse in the latest Rasmussen Reports election poll of Rhode Island's U.S. Senate race.

Chafee now earns just 41% of the statewide vote and trails Democratic challenger Sheldon Whitehouse by five percentage points. In June, with 44% support, Chafee was a bare two points ahead of Whitehouse; in April he had scraped a three-point advantage.

Chafee continues to be challenged for the Republican nomination by Cranston Mayor Steve Laffey as Republicans show their disaffection with the incumbent.

Now trailing Whitehouse 29% to 57%, Laffey would probably by crushed in a general election. Nevertheless, he secures higher support from fellow Republicans (61%) than Chafee does (52%).

Chafee is viewed favorably by 58% of all voters and by only 46% of the GOP, an extremely low favorable rating from a purported base. Fifty-nine percent (59%) of Democrats view Chafee favorably, as do 62% of unaffiliated voters. Whitehouse is viewed favorably by 60% of all voters, 77% of Democrats, and 54% of unaffiliated voters.

By a more than two-to-one margin, Rhode Island voters prefer to see a Democrat as our next President, at least when party affiliation is the only factor they can consider. But, as in other states, the calculus changes when we supply the names of four prominent politicians known to be contemplating a run in 2008: Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, John McCain, and Rudy Giuliani.

In neighboring Massachusetts, McCain leads both Clinton and Gore 44% to 43%. Premium Members can see all of our 2008 state-by-state results.

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