A new Alabama poll shows the generic Republican candidate with a marginal lead over the Democrat in what could be a surprisingly close race in the traditionally red state.
JMC Analytics and Polling found registered voters in Alabama were inclined to support the Republican candidate by 49 percent and the Democratic candidate by 45 percent.
The numbers changed slightly with specific candidates as options. Forty-eight percent of respondents said they would support former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore while 40 percent said they would support former U.S. attorney Doug Jones. A sizable amount, 11 percent, say they are still undecided.
Of those polled, 50 percent said Mr. Moore was qualified to serve as a U.S. senator given his past statements while 35 percent said no and another 14 percent were undecided.
The Alabama Senate contest has become a more competitive race than initially expected after President Trump’s preferred candidate, Sen. Luther Strange, lost the Republican primary to Mr. Moore. Mr. Trump’s former adviser Steve Bannon backed Mr. Moore in the primary dividing the populist movement voters in the state.
Mr. Strange was appointed to the seat when then-Sen. Jeff Sessions was appointed attorney general. Mr. Moore is a controversial figure who has twice been removed from the bench for refusing to carry out state laws.
Fifty-one percent said they approved of President Trump’s job performance so far while another 41 percent said they disapproved and 8 percent remained undecided.
Alabama hasn’t sent a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1994 when Sen. Richard Shelby switched party affiliations and became a Republican. The general election race between Mr. Moore and Mr. Jones is slated for Dec. 12.
The automated poll was conducted via landline among registered voters with 500 completed responses between Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 with a 4.4 percent margin of error.
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