The favorability of President Donald Trump might be the difference for Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., in her bid for the Senate, as she leads Democrat Phil Bredesen by 8 points in the latest Emerson College poll.
Rep. Blackburn drew 52 percent of likely voters, while Bredesen, the state's former governor, was the choice of 44 percent, with just 3 percent undecided.
The Republican majority in the Senate is a mere 51-49, and Democrats had targeted the seat of retiring Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., as a potential way to close the gap. But President Trump has actively campaigned for Blackburn against Bredesen, and the president is popular in the state, with a 54 percent favorable rating, according to the poll.
Blackburn is a toss up on favorability 49 percent for and 47 against, while Bredesen has a slightly better favorability ratio of 5 points (48-43 percent).
The RealClear Politics analysis lists the race as "leans GOP" and Blackburn is plus-7.2 points in the average of the polls.
Emerson College polled 632 likely voters in Tennessee between Oct. 28-30, and the poll results have a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
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