Polling in the Kansas Senate race has been all over the map, but the latest survey, from the Democratic polling firm Public Policy Polling, shows it’s a three-point race, 44 points to 41, with Orman in the lead. A libertarian candidate is polling at 5 percent.
The last PPP poll showed Orman leading Roberts by ten points, and PPP notes that Roberts’s gains have come almost exclusively from Republicans. So, if he’s struggling even with members of his own party, it’s no surprise that the survey also found that Roberts, a three-term incumbent, is deeply unpopular: Just 37 percent of voters say they approve of the job he’s doing in the Senate, while 47 percent disapprove. As voters get to know him, though, Orman’s negatives are rising, too: His favorability rating has dropped 16 points from last month’s poll to 42 percent.
So why are some Republicans, just now, turning to back Roberts? PPP found that, by a whopping 52 to 35 margin, Kansans say they want Republicans to control the Senate come November.
As for the Kansas governor’s race, where Sam Brownback is fighting for his political life: It’s neck and neck, with Brownback and house minority leader Paul Davis each polling at 44 percent.