How vulnerable is Elizabeth Dole?
The Democratic leaning Public Policy Polling institute released a poll testing NC Senator Dole’s vulnerability. Dole is favored to win re-election, but many Democrats still hold some hope of defeating her. She is viewed as particularly weak since her disastrous tenure as NRSC chairman in 2005 and 2006. No Democrat has yet declared against her; Governor Easley who cannot run for re-election in 2008 due to term limits would be a formidable candidate, but he has refused to run. Right now, after other Democrats passed the race, the main potential challenger is State Senator Grier Martin, an Afghanistan veteran from Raleigh. PPP shows Dole comfortably leading, 45% to 30%. She is under the threshold of50% under which incumbents are deemed vulnerable, but it seems PPP did not push undecideds at all given that 20% of undecideds is a high number. PPP is a Democratic polling firm, so not pushing leaners could be a way to artificially show Dole below 50%. Yet, there is no doubt that at 15 point e
