Lincoln’s Senate Seat in Jeopardy?
October 1, 2009 Rasmussen Reports
Another Democratic senator may be at-risk in 2010. Arkansas’ Blanche Lambert Lincoln trails all four of her leading Republican challengers in the first Rasmussen Reports Election 2010 survey in the state.
Lincoln fails to get 50 percent of the vote in any of the match-ups, and any incumbent who falls short of that level is considered vulnerable. In three of the match-ups, however, she is virtually tied with the challengers at this time.
The two-term senator, who was reelected with 54 percent of the vote in 2004, is perhaps made more vulnerable by her seat on the Senate Finance Committee which is now wrestling with the national health care reform plan, a measure which is highly unpopular in Arkansas. Just today she voted against including in the bill the controversial “public option” being pushed by liberal senators in her party.
State Senator Gilbert Baker runs best against Lincoln so far, beating her by eight points – 47 percent to 39 percent. Five percent like some other candidate, with eight percent undecided.
State Senator Minority Leader Kim Hendren beats Lincoln 44 percent to 41 percent, with 5 percent favoring another candidate and 10 percent undecided.
Curtis Coleman, a private businessman with ties to former Arkansas governor and presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee, holds a 43 percent to 41 percent lead over the incumbent. Five percent prefer some other candidate, and 11 percent are undecided.
Just as close is Tom Cox, head of the Arkansas T.E.A. Party, who leads Lincoln 43 percent to 40 percent, with 6 percent favoring another candidate and 11 percent undecided.
Twenty-six percent of Arkansas voters have a very favorable opinion of Lincoln, while 28 percent view her very unfavorably. Just 4 percent don’t have an opinion of the incumbent senator.
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