Poll shows Democrats making gains in Iowa races

New polling in the races for Iowa governor and U.S. Senate is good news for Democrats.

A KCCI TV poll shows both Gov. Chet Culver and Roxanne Conlin pulling closer to their Republican opponents.

In the race for governor, Culver still trails four-term Republican Gov. Terry Branstad 48 percent to 41 percent, but the margin is narrower than in February. Then KCCI polling found Branstad with a 58 percent to 38 percent edge.

In the new poll, Conlin has pulled to within 9 percentage points of Sen. Chuck Grassley. He leads 49 percent to 41 percent. In February, Grassley had a 56 percent to 35 percent margin.

To see the polls, visit http://tinyurl.com/29pzbgv.

The Research 2000 Iowa Poll of 600 likely Iowa voters was conducted from May 3-5. Iowans who vote regularly in state elections were interviewed by telephone. The margin for error, according to standards customarily used by statisticians, is no more than plus or minus 4% percentage points.