LOUISVILLE, Ky., Sept. 20 (UPI) -- The 21-point lead U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., enjoyed in May over Democratic challenger Daniel Mongiardo shrank to 17 points in September.
The Louisville Courier-Journal's Sept. 10-15 Bluegrass Poll of 657 likely voters found that 51 percent of respondents back the incumbent Bunning, a baseball Hall of Famer who served five terms in the House before voters sent him to the Senate in 1998, while 34 percent said they plan to vote for Mongiardo, a medical doctor who was elected to the state Senate in 2000. The poll's margin of error is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.
"We've closed the gap even before Senator Mongiardo has gone on television. Once Dr. Mongiardo begins to get his message out, this gap will shrink to single digits very quickly," said Mongiardo campaign manager Kim Geveden.
David Young, Bunning's campaign manager, responded: "This poll and other non-partisan polls confirm that Kentuckians seem to approve of Senator Bunning's record, character, leadership and his fighting for their values in the United States Senate."
