In the competitive race to fill the Senate seat of departing Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R), likely Democratic nominee Harold Ford continues to trail all three potential Republican opponents.

Representative Van Hilleary now leads Ford 47% to 38%. Representative Ed Bryant leads Ford 44% to 36%. And Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker leads him 43% to 39%.

Those numbers are little changed from our previous Tennessee election poll. Since the beginning of the year, the gaps between Ford and the Republicans have widened.

Hilleary does a bit better among conservatives than Bryant or Corker.

All four candidates are viewed favorably by between 43% and 45% of voters. Ford has the highest unfavorables. Between a fifth and a quarter of the state's voters are still Not Sure what to think of each Republican.

Sixty-five percent (65%) approve of how Governor Phil Bredesen, a Democrat, is doing his job; 29% disapprove.

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GOP voters are most comfortable with Van Hilleary--77% support him in a match-up with Ford. Corker attracts 72% support from Republicans, Bryant 70%. Ford attracts between 72% and 75% support from Democrats (and up to 60% support from self-described moderates).

In Tennessee, where a hard-fought battle to prevent a state income tax is still fresh in voters' minds, 64% say tax increases hurt the economy. Fifty-eight percent (58%) say tax cuts help.

Sixty-two percent (62%) say all immigrants should be welcome except criminals, security threats, and welfare dependents. Sixty-nine percent (69%) say securing the borders and enforcing existing law should be achieved before the nation considers further reforms.

Forty-nine percent (49%) believe that all illegal aliens should be forced to leave the country; 31% disagree. Sixty-five percent (65%) oppose granting automatic citizenship to children of illegal aliens.

Forty-nine percent (49%) believe that our nation's policy goal should be to welcome everyone except national security threats, criminals, and those who intend to live off our welfare system. That is slightly below the national average.

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