Sen. John Sununu (R-N.H.) trails his Democratic opponent by 17 points in a recent poll, further bolstering the argument that Democrats’ best hope for making gains in the Senate starts in New England.
In a poll released today by the University of New Hampshire Sununu trails former New Hampshire Gov. Jeanne Shaheen by a margin of 54 percent to 37 percent, with 7 percent undecided and a 4.5 point margin for error. These numbers are largely unchanged since last July, showing that Shaheen continues to poll well in a state that has trended strongly toward Democrats in the past election cycle.
Sununu’s campaign has countered with an American Research Group poll taken in December that showed Sununu up 11 points, so it’s clear that methodology and the polling sample could be further debated and analyzed in this race.
Democrats have an edge in the Senate this year:
Democrats possess a field advantage in 2008, needing to defend only 12 seats, while Republicans must defend 23. In addition, five Republicans and no Democrats have announced that they are retiring. The open seat gap between the parties is the biggest in 50 years.
