Republican challenger Dino Rossi has edged slightly ahead of incumbent Democrat Patty Murray in Washington’s U.S. Senate race.
A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in Washington shows Rossi with 49% of the vote, while Murray’s support stands at 46%. Three percent (3%) prefer some other candidate in the race, and two percent (2%) are undecided.
Rossi is also fortifying his campaign war chest entering the race's homestretch, which should worry incumbent Sen. Patty Murray (D) for a few reasons:
Dino Rossi took in $4.4 million for his U.S. Senate campaign during the third quarter, outpacing the $3.3 million that Sen. Patty Murray added to her re-election coffers during the same period.Rossi's campaign released the tally Thursday, ahead of the Oct. 15 reporting deadline to the Federal Election Commission (FEC). Murray's campaign provided a preliminary total on request.
Rossi, a Republican, now has raised a total of $5.8 million in his bid to unseat his three-term Democratic rival. But Murray had a big head start in fundraising, with $6 million in unspent campaign contributions when Rossi made his candidacy official in late May.
Reminder: This is a race RCP still has listed as a Democrat hold, while their overall projection shows a 50-50 Senate split. Dude, is this happening?