Ooof: Dick Lugar Down By 10 Points Less Than A Week Before GOP Primary

I know one thing about challenger Richard Mourdock, he's not Dick Lugar. That's enough.

Seems lots of Indiana Republicans agree.

A new poll shows Treasurer Richard Mourdock building a commanding lead over Sen. Richard Lugar.

The Howey/DePauw Indiana Battleground Poll, conducted by two prominent Republican and Democratic pollsters, shows Mourdock with a 48 percent to 38 percent lead over Lugar.

...

The poll shows a dramatic slide for Lugar, who in his last election in 2006 won with more than 80 percent of the vote after Democrats considered him so unbeatable that they didn’t field a candidate against him.

Only about a month ago, a Howey/DePauw Battleground poll showed Lugar leading Mourdock 42 percent to 35 percent.

Even if Mourdock isn't the greatest thing since sliced bread (and he may well be), knocking off Lugar and maybe hosta in Utah (fingers crossed) will have a salutatory effect on the Senate GOP caucus.

Now all we have to worry about is getting Mourdock over the line in November and worrying what Lugar will do in the lame duck session.

The fight never ends!

Added: Something I meant to include in the original post...Mourdock isn't a political novice, out of nowhere, untested candidate. He's in his second term as state treasurer, so he's an accomplished statewide vote getter. We're not likely to see a meltdown and he's a known quantity to general election voters.

posted by DrewM. at 12:04 PM

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