Not too many consider North Dakota a top tier Senate race, but a new poll out from the NRSC looks like it may be. Gov. John Hoeven (R) leads Sen. Byron Dorgan (D) by 17 points.
The NRSC’s poll, which was conducted by Public Opinion Strategies, shows Hoeven leading by double digits, 53-36.
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The NRSC’s poll put Hoeven’s favorability at an unheard-of 86 percent, with just 5 percent holding an unfavorable opinion of him. Those numbers seem implausible, but the fact remains that he is very, very popular.
Dorgan, meanwhile, has 69 percent favorability and 24 percent unfavorables.
It’s interesting that the NRSC is putting this poll out publicly. Rest assured, this is part of a larger effort to lure Hoeven into the race. But the climb appears steep in getting him to leave the governor’s mansion.