Two new polls show that incumbent Indiana Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly could very well lose to his challenger, Republican businessman and former Indiana state Rep. Mike Braun, albeit by a small margin.
The first poll, conducted by Mason Strategies and published by IndyPolitics, revealed that 43 percent of likely voters support Donnelly, and 47 percent back Braun.
Libertarian Lucy Brenton polled at about 3 percent, and 7 percent of respondents say they are undecided.
The poll of 600 registered Indiana voters was conducted Oct. 15-21 and has a margin of error of 3.9 percentage points.
You can read more about the poll's findings here.
The second poll, conducted by the Mike Downs Center for Indiana Politics at Purdue University Fort Wayne, revealed that 41 percent of likely voters support Donnelly, and 40 percent back Braun.
Brenton polled at about 8 percent, and 11 percent of respondents say they are undecided.
The poll of 816 registered Indiana voters was conducted Oct. 12-16 and has a margin of error of 4.6 percentage points.
You can read more about the poll's findings here.
The Real Clear Politics polling average has Donnelly up by less than a point. The RCP calculation includes the two aforementioned polls, a recent Gravis Marketing poll that showed Donnelly up 4 points, and a Fox News poll that had Donnelly up 2 points.
President Donald Trump officially endorsed Braun in September during a campaign rally in Evansville, Indiana.
The Senate election in Indiana is one of 10 “most likely to flip in 2018,” CNN reported in January. The Cook Political Report calls the race a toss-up, as does Real Clear Politics.
Donnelly and Braun are slated to hold a final debate on Oct. 30. The midterm elections will be Nov. 6.
