INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) - The race for Senator Dan Coats' open seat is a dead heat less than two months before the election.
The WTHR/HPI Indiana Poll has Republican Representative Todd Young trailing Democrat Evan Bayh 40% to 44% with Libertarian Lucy Brenton following at 5% and 11% either not voting or saying they are still undecided.
Baron Hill was originally the Democratic nominee but dropped out in July, allowing Bayh to compete for his former Senate seat. Young was soundly ahead of Hill 48% to 30% in the April WTHR/HPI Indiana Poll.
The poll reports Bayh has 11% support from voters that identify as Republicans. He also holds a strong lead with minorities and women. Young has a slight lead with male voters, particularly older male voters.
Bayh holds an edge over Young with a +20 net favorable score.
Young currently has a net favorable score of +8% and also has 24% of voters reporting they have not heard of him. Bayh only had 11% of voters report a lack of name recognition.
The two are tied in net favorability ratings with men. Bayh holds a lead with both white and minority voters as well as women. Bayh also holds a big favorability advantage with the youngest voting demographic (age 18-34) and oldest demographic (age 65+.) Young has a slight advantage with voters 55-64 years old and men older than 55.
WTHR commissioned the poll with Howey Politics Indiana. The Public Opinion Strategies poll surveyed 600 likely voters in the state from September 6-8. It has a four-point margin of error.
