West Virginia Senate: Manchin (D) Takes Slight Lead Over Raese (R)

Democratic Governor Joe Manchin has been in overdrive in recent days to distance himself from President Obama and congressional Democrats, and now he’s edged back into a three-point advantage in West Virginia’s U.S. Senate race.

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely West Virginia Voters finds Manchin with 49% support to Republican John Raese’s 46%. Two percent (2%) like another candidate in the race, while four percent (4%) remain undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)  

This is the first time Manchin’s had any edge in the polling since mid-September, and the race now moves from Leans Republican to a Toss-Up in the Rasmussen Reports Election 2010 Senate Balance of Power rankings.

A week ago, Raese held a lead over the highly popular governor who surprisingly found himself on the defensive in a state where the president and his policies are highly unpopular. The race remains one of the closest in the country with both national parties pouring heavy advertising dollars into the state.

Raese leads among voters who Strongly Disapprove of President Obama’s performance while Manchin is the overwhelming choice for those with a positive opinion of the president. Among those who Somewhat Disapprove of Obama’s performance, Manchin has a 2-to-1 advantage.

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The survey of 750 Likely Voters in West Virginia was conducted on October 26, 2010 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Do most voters still think it's best for West Virginia if Manchin stays as governor? Has Manchin done a good job convincing voters he's not a liberal Democrat? Become a Platinum member and find out.