Allen Weh, the Republican candidate for Senate in New Mexico, is one of this cycle’s longshots. And the latest poll out in the Land of Enchantment does not indicate he’s on the verge of an upset.

But when a longshot candidate starts getting some traction, a bit of credit is deserved:

[Democrat incumbent Sen.] Tom Udall led Weh with independent voters 62 percent to 26 percent in August. The latest survey showed Udall’s advantage among the group down to 41 percent to 38 percent.

Sadly for Weh, that shift is not a game-changer; independents just don’t make up enough of the state’s likely electorate:

Just over half of the likely New Mexico voters surveyed – 51 percent – said they supported Udall for re-election in the September poll, conducted Tuesday through Thursday last week. Thirty-eight percent said they preferred Weh. Another 11 percent were undecided.

In 2012, Heather Wilson lost the New Mexico Senate race, 51 percent to 45 percent, to Democrat Martin Heinrich. Back in 2008, as Obama was winning the state in the presidential election, Udall beat GOP congressman Steve Pearce, 61 percent to 38 percent.

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