Grassley holds narrow lead over Judge, new poll shows

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, holds the slimmest of leads over Democratic challenger Patty Judge, according to a new poll.

The Loras College Poll, released Thursday, says Grassley is ahead of Judge, a former lieutenant governor, by a margin of 46 percent to 45 percent with 9 percent undecided.

The poll also indicates 49 percent of respondents have a favorable opinion of Grassley, while 41 percent saw him unfavorably. About 10 percent had no opinion or refused to answer. Meanwhile, 41 percent had a favorable view of Judge, while 23 percent had an unfavorable view.

About 36 percent of respondents had no opinion or hadn't heard of Judge.

That large number of people without an opinion leaves open the possibility that Republican criticism of Judge during the campaign could drive up her unfavorable ratings, said Christopher Budzisz, the poll director.

'Still, in this volatile year, Sen. Grassley appears to be facing a tougher challenge than most people would have predicted earlier this year,” he said.

Despite the close margin overall, Budzisz noted 70 percent of poll respondents said they expect Grassley to win.

The poll was conducted June 24-28 and sampled the opinions of 600 likely voters. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

A Public Policy Polling survey of 897 registered voters in Iowa, released earlier this week, said Grassley held a wider lead over Judge, 46 percent to 39 percent.