Grassley holds double-digit lead in Iowa Senate race

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is maintaining a significant lead over his Democratic opponent just over a month out from the November midterm elections.

An Emerson College poll released Friday shows that Grassley is leading retired Navy Adm. Michael Franken among likely Iowa voters by 11 points, at 49 percent to 38 percent. Nine percent of those polled said they were undecided, and 4 percent said they plan to vote for someone else.

Fifty percent of Iowa voters said they have a favorable view of the senator, while 44 percent said they have an unfavorable view of him. Forty percent of voters reported having a favorable view of Franken, while 32 percent said they had an unfavorable view of him.

Spencer Kimball, the executive director of Emerson College Polling, said that Franken has performed well with suburban voters and women, trailing Grassley in both groups by only 1 point.

“However, among rural voters, Grassley holds a 33-point lead, and among men, he leads by 21 points,” Kimball said.

The poll found that in the Iowa gubernatorial race, 53 percent of likely voters support incumbent Gov. Kim Reynolds (R), while 36 percent support her Democratic challenger, Deidre DeJear. Nine percent said they are undecided about who they will back in the governor’s race, and 2 percent said they plan to vote for someone else.

Fifty-five percent of likely Iowa voters reported having a favorable view of Reynolds, while 43 percent said they had an unfavorable view of her. The majority of likely voters polled, 41 percent, said they were either unsure of or had never heard of DeJear. Thirty-three percent of those polled said they had a favorable view of her, and 27 percent reported having an unfavorable view of her.

The poll also found that the most important issue for likely Iowa voters is the economy, at 45 percent of those surveyed. The following most important issues cited by respondents were threats to democracy at 17 percent, abortion access at 12 percent, health care at 7 percent and immigration at 7 percent.

“Voters who say the economy is their most important issue break for Republican Grassley by 61 points, and for Republican Reynolds by 69 points,” Kimball said. “By contrast, those who say threats to democracy are their most important issue break for Franken by 57 points and DeJear by 50 points.”

The polling shows that Grassley’s lead over Franken has widened over the last few months, compared to a June poll that showed him leading his Democratic opponent by 8 points.