NV-Sen Poll Watch: Harry Reid Holds Narrow Lead

As I have said before this race will whip-saw back and forth as the ads spew forth on Nevada television.

The struggling U.S. economy is paramount in voters’ minds as they look ahead to the November 2 election in Nevada, with 74 percent citing the economy as their top concern, the poll of 600 Nevada voters done July 30-August 1 found.

And Nevada’s high jobless rate of 14.2 percent and rising home foreclosures and bankruptcies appear to be taking their toll on Reid in his attempt for a fifth six-year term. Seventy-one percent of registered voters said the state is on the wrong track.

Among voters who said they are likely to vote, Reid held a 48-44 percent lead over Republican challenger Sharron Angle, much narrower than the 52-36 percent edge he had over her among registered voters.

Angle is a conservative darling of the Tea Party movement who has drawn criticism from Reid over earlier campaign promises to “phase-out” two popular government programs for the elderly and poor, Social Security and Medicare.

Reid, as Senate majority leader, is one of the top Democrats in the country and has been a strong backer of President Barack Obama’s agenda. Obama has been to Nevada twice this year to speak on Reid’s behalf.

“He (Reid) is well within her striking distance,” said Ipsos pollster Julia Clark. “I think this one will go down to the wire and it will absolutely depend on turnout.

The economy is really poor in Nevada and from the looks of Las Vegas television (I am on vacation in Nevada) it is obvious with the ads for bankruptcy/foreclosure attorneys.

Harry Reid will have a lot of explaining to do after Labor Day on his abysmal Senate record whereas Angle will have to prove herself as not an extremist.

Stay tuned……