Raleigh News and Observer: Dole feels the heat from Hagan's challenge
Raleigh News and Observer
Under the Dome
Ryan Teague Beckwith, Benjamin Niolet, Bill Krueger, Dan Kane and Bruce Siceloff
June 16, 2008
The Beltway is buzzing about the U.S. Senate race between Republican incumbent Elizabeth Dole and her Democratic opponent, Kay Hagan.
Hagan, a state senator, met with Washington reporters and bloggers last week in an effort to raise her profile. Her chat with the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza bumped her up a notch to No. 8 in the competitive rankings on his blog, The Fix:
“Dole ( R) knows she is in for a very tough race against state Sen. Kay Hagan (D). Witness her decision to begin running ads in recent days that tout her ability to deliver for the state — ads that never make mention of her party affiliation or President George W. Bush.”
Then the head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee called the race “competitive.”
Sen. John Ensign listed it as among the 10 most competitive races in the country.
Meanwhile, Dole has opened a wider lead in the polls. In a recent survey by Rasmussen Reports, Dole got 53 percent while Hagan got 39 percent.
The results are almost identical to a survey by the same pollster two months ago, but they show a decline from Hagan’s post-primary bump that brought her almost even.
