New poll results continue to show Republican incumbent David Vitter ahead of Democrat Charlie Melancon in the race for U.S. Senate.
One poll has Melancon, who is currently a U.S. representative, trailing Vitter by 18 points. Another has him behind by 10 points.
The first poll, conducted Sunday by Colorado-based Magellan Data & Mapping Strategies, has Vitter at 52 percent and Melancon at 34 percent.
The poll shows Melancon winning the votes of barely more than half of Democrats, with 11 percent undecided and 33.6 percent voting for Vitter. Vitter, meanwhile, earned more than 85 percent of the Republican vote, with 5 percent voting for Melancon, 5 percent undecided and the remaining percentage distributed among other candidates.
That poll was a phone survey of 1,232 likely voters conducted Sunday evening.
The second poll, conducted by Washington D.C.-based firm Bennett, Petts & Normington has Vitter with 48 percent, 10 points higher than Melancon’s 38 percent. When the ticket took into account third-party candidates, Vitter’s lead dropped to nine points.
That poll was paid for by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. It surveyed 800 likely voters by phone.
Both polls show the 10 third-party candidates in the race — most notably Libertarian Randall Todd Hayes and Independents Earnest Wooton and Mike Spears — are far outside of striking distance to win the campaign.
The election has already turned ugly and has elicited national headlines.
Melancon has blasted Vitter for his involvement with a D.C. escort service and for not firing a woman’s affairs staffer accused of assaulting a woman.
Vitter has accused Melancon of enabling policies enacted by congressional Democrats and President Barack Obama, policies that are hugely unpopular in Louisiana.
The election will be held Nov. 2.
—-
Contact Matthew Albright at [email protected]