New poll: Braun, Donnelly still in a statistical tie 2 weeks before Election Day

Kaitlin Lange | IndyStar

Show Caption Hide Caption Why suburban voters, particularly women, are key to Indiana Senate race Voters from Indianapolis' suburbs, particularly women, could be key to the outcome of the Indiana Senate race between Joe Donnelly and Mike Braun.

Democratic incumbent Sen. Joe Donnelly and Republican businessman Mike Braun are still in a statistical tie in the race for Indiana's U.S. Senate seat, according to the most recent poll out just a little more than two weeks from Election Day.

In a sampling of 816 likely voters, 41 percent of voters say they plan to vote for Donnelly, compared to 40 percent who say will vote for Braun, with 11 percent saying they're still undecided, according to a poll conducted for the Mike Downs Center for Indiana Politics at Purdue University Fort Wayne.

An additional 8 percent said they plan to vote for Libertarian candidate Lucy Brenton.

The spread between Donnelly and Braun is well within the 4.6 percent margin of error.

So far, most polls have given Donnelly the edge within the margin of error. But this poll shows one of the smallest spreads between the two leading candidates.

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One in five independent voters are still undecided, according to the poll conducted by SurveyUSA from Oct. 12-16. That compares with just 3 percent of Democrats and 7 percent of Republicans.

The remaining independents are leaning heavily towards Donnelly, which could be a good sign for him.

Donnelly and Braun are statistically tied in Indiana's suburbs, while Braun has a large edge in rural areas and Donnelly has a large lead in urban areas.

Call IndyStar reporter Kaitlin Lange at 317-432-9270. Follow her on Twitter: @kaitlin_lange.