Poll Watch: The Mellman Group (D) Kentucky 2014 Senatorial Survey

The Mellman Group (D) Kentucky 2014 Senate Poll

• Alison Lundergan Grimes (D) 44%
• Mitch McConnell (R) 42%
• Undecided 14%

Survey of 750 likely voters was conducted July 20-24, 2013. The margin of error is +/- 3.6 percentage points. 

Inside the numbers: 

Grimes’s strength is grounded in a 7-point lead among independents (35% Grimes, 28% McConnell) and a 33-point lead among moderates (56%-23%).

Voters familiar with both candidates (a group comprising 53% of the likely electorate) reveals that Grimes holds an impressive 15-point lead (53% Grimes, 38% McConnell).

While the Commonwealth's voters have net-positive views of Grimes’s performance as Secretary of State (33% positive, 29% negative), a large 58% majority give negative grades to McConnell for his performance in the US Senate. Just 38% offer positive evaluations of McConnell.

By a 59-point margin, voters believe McConnell “puts the interest of the Republican party first.” By a 35-point margin, voters believe McConnell is “too political.” By a 35-point margin, they believe he “has been in Washington too long,” and voters say he “is too close to special interest lobbyists” by a 28-point margin.