Is it an Adam Laxalt surge?
After falling behind Nevada Democratic gubernatorial nominee Steve Sisolak by 2 points in a Suffolk University/Reno Gazette-Journal poll last month, Laxalt — the state's Republican nominee — is back on top by a point among likely voters, 46 percent to 45 percent, according to a new NBC News/Marist poll.
Laxalt's 1-point lead reflects a head-to-head contest with Sisolak; but when the choice is expanded to include Libertarian candidate Jared Lord and “none of these,” the poll shows Laxalt ahead by 4 points, 44 percent to 40 percent.
Prior to falling behind Sisolak by 2 points in September, a Suffolk University/Reno Gazette-Journal poll released July 31 showed Laxalt ahead of Sisolak by less than 1 percentage point — 41.6 percent to 41 percent.
The Laxalt campaign on Wednesday declined to comment to TheBlaze on the new poll results.
The poll also said a greater percentage of likely voters have a favorable impression of Laxalt (43 percent) compared to Sisolak (42 percent). Laxalt also is in better shape when it comes to likely voters with an unfavorable impression of him (37 percent) compared to Sisolak (43 percent).
The poll was conducted between Sept. 30 and Oct. 3 — amid the controversy surrounding then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, who was accused of sexual assault by Christine Blasey Ford in an alleged incident that she said occurred when they were teenagers over 35 years ago. Kavanaugh — nominated by President Donald Trump — was confirmed to the high court Saturday.
But despite Laxalt's slight lead, it doesn't appear related to GOP outrage over how Kavanaugh was treated by Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee. In fact, a greater percentage of likely voters said they were more likely to vote for a candidate who opposed Kavanaugh (41 percent) than for a candidate who supported Kavanaugh (38 percent).
The poll indicates Nevada Democrats are more enthusiastic about November's contests, with 89 percent of likely Democratic voters saying the midterms are “very important” compared to 82 percent of Republicans.
A greater percentage of likely voters disapprove of Trump's overall job performance than approve of it, 47 percent to 45 percent, the poll says.
In addition, 51 percent said their vote will reflect a desire for more Democrats to balance Trump as opposed to the 39 percent of those who said their vote will reflect a desire for more Republicans to help Trump move forward with his agenda.
Dave Urbanski
Sr. Editor, News
