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Election 2010: Delaware Senate - Rasmussen Reports™

Support for Republican Congressman Mike Castle falls just short of 50% for the third month in a row, but he continues to hold a double-digit lead over Democrat Chris Coons in Delaware’s U.S. Senate race.

The latest Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey of Likely Voters shows Castle earning 48% of the vote, while Coons gets 37% support. Six percent (6%) prefer some other candidate, and nine percent (9%) remain undecided.

The race is little changed from early last month, when Castle held a 49% to 37% edge over Coons, a country executive who has never sought statewide office. July was the first time in Rasmussen Reports surveying of the race this year that support for Castle dipped below the 50% mark.

Prior to July, Castle earned between 53% and 56% support, while Coons’ support fell in a 27% to 32% range.

Coons leads conservative activist Christine O’Donnell, who is challenging Castle for the GOP Senate nomination in a primary next Tuesday, by a 47% to 36% margin. Given that matchup, eight percent (8%) prefer another candidate, while nine percent (9%) are undecided.

Last month, Coons held a similar 46% to 36% lead over O’Donnell after the candidates were virtually tied in July.

Castle captures 71% of the GOP vote, while O'Donnell earns 63% support among voters in her own party. While Coons is backed by 70% of Democrats against O’Donnell, he earns the vote from just 55% of Democratic voters when matched against Castle. Voters not affiliated with either major party prefer Castle over Coons but favor the Democrat if O'Donnell is his opponent.

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The survey of 500 Likely Voters in Delaware was conducted on September 2, 2010 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

The seat at stake was formerly held by Vice President Joe Biden who resigned following the November 2008 elections. His chief of staff, Ted Kaufman, was named to the seat by the state’s Democratic governor but has opted not to seek a full term.

Like voters across the country, a majority in Delaware (51%) say economic issues are most important in determining how they vote.
The Castle-Coons race is close among voters who put the economy first. Coons holds a strong lead over O’Donnell among those voters.

Castle is viewed Very Favorably by 26% of Delaware voters and Very Unfavorably by 10%.

Coons’ ratings are 13% Very Favorable, 12% Very Unfavorable.

O’Donnell is viewed Very Favorably by 16%, but 24% share a Very Unfavorable opinion of her.

At this point in a campaign, Rasmussen Reports considers the number of people with a strong opinion more significant than the total favorable/unfavorable numbers.

Sixty-three percent (63%) of Delaware voters are at least somewhat angry with the policies of the federal government, which is in line with results found nationally.

Sixty-two percent (62%) say neither party’s political leaders have a good understanding of what is needed most today.

Eighty-four percent (84%) in Delaware know someone out of work and looking for a job, and nearly half of voters (48%) believe the job market is worse today than it was a year ago.

For more questions from this survey, see toplines.

Fifty percent (50%) of Delaware voters approve of the job Barack Obama is doing as president, while another 50% disapprove. This is slightly better than Obama does nationally in the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll.

Sixty percent (60%) approve of Democratic Governor Jack Markell's performance. Thirty-eight percent (38%) disapprove.

Rasmussen Reports has recently surveyed Senate races in Arizona, Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

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Eric D. Schwerin
Rosemont Seneca Partners, LLC
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Suite 705
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eschwerin@rosemontseneca.com
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