In a Republican Primary for US Senate in Kansas today, 02/01/10, Jerry Moran edges Todd Tiahrt, according to SurveyUSA's 6th pre-primary tracking poll, conducted for KWCH-TV Wichita and KCTV-TV Kansas City. The primary is in 6 months.
Today it's Moran 40%, Tiahrt 33%. Compared to an identical SurveyUSA poll released 2 months ago, Moran is up 3 points; Tiahrt is down 1. In 6 tracking polls, Moran has never trailed, but has led by a margin greater than the survey's theoretical sampling error only once, in October 2009. Click on the "Triangle T" to reveal SurveyUSA's interactive tracking graphs, a SurveyUSA exclusive, which permit a time-series analysis of each demographic sub-population.
Tiahrt, who represents Kansas' 4th US Congressional District, in Southeastern Kansas, leads by 17 points in that part of the state. Moran, who represents Kansas' 1st Congressional District, which takes up most of the Western two-thirds of the state, leads by 35 in Western KS, down from a 52-point lead 2 months ago. In Northeastern KS, home to half the state's population, Moran today leads by 15. In 5 previous polls, Moran has led in this neutral ground by margins ranging between 8 and 23 points with between 1/3 to 1/2 of voters undecided; 2 months ago, Tiahrt held a nominal 1-point lead here.
Kansas political parties decide before each primary whether the primary will be open to voters who are not affiliated with any political party; SurveyUSA includes unaffiliated voters here, where they make up 12% of the electorate. Moran today leads by 5 points among these unaffiliated voters and by 7 points among Republicans.
http://www.surveyusa.com/client/PollReport.aspx?g=b068ee9b-e4f9-4042-8323-dc2c38172ad6