Hawley holds wide lead in Missouri Senate race: Poll

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) holds a wide lead over Democrat Lucas Kunce in the Missouri Senate race, according to a new poll.

A survey released Friday by Emerson College Polling/The Hill, found Hawley leading Kunce, a Marine veteran, 51 percent to 41 percent, with 7 percent undecided.

Data from Emerson College found that Hawley performs better with voters age 50 and older and male voters, and he edges out Kunce with women voters. Meanwhile, the Democrat performs better with voters younger than 40 and college-educated voters.

“Majorities of Republicans support Hawley and Democrats support Kunce, while independent voters are split: 42% support Hawley and 41% Kunce,” Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, explained in a press release.

“Kunce would need a larger share of independent voters to make a difference in a state where Republicans outnumber Democrats,” he added.

Hawley is vying for a second term in the Senate after defeating former Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) in 2018 by close to 6 points. So far, Hawley looks slated to win reelection in November.

With the election about a week away, an aggregate of 10 Missouri Senate polls compiled by The Hill/Decision Desk HQ shows Hawley leading Kunce 50 percent to 43 percent.

The nonpartisan election handicapper Cook Political Report rates Hawley’s seat “solid Republican.”

The survey from Emerson/The Hill was conducted Oct. 22-23 with 620 likely voters. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.