Fifty-two percent of those surveyed view the minority leader unfavorably. | AP Photos McConnell, Grimes tied in Dem poll

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is tied with Democratic challenger Alison Lundergan Grimes, according to a new Democratic poll.

McConnell and Grimes each take 37 percent in the poll, conducted for MoveOn.org Political Action by the Democratic firm Lake Research Partners. Just under a fifth of voters are still undecided.


The race is a top priority for Democrats, who see Grimes as a legitimate threat to McConnell and plan to spend heavily on her behalf. Still, it’s an uphill race for her against McConnell, a tough campaigner with a large war chest.

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Fifty-two percent of those surveyed view the minority leader unfavorably, compared with 42 percent who view him favorably. And asked if they’d like to replace him, would consider someone else or plan on voting to reelect him, 43 percent said they would prefer to replace him. Just 27 percent said they’ll vote to reelect him.

The poll also looks at the GOP primary, finding McConnell leading tea party challenger Matt Bevin 3-to-1: McConnell gets 50 percent in the poll, compared with 17 percent for Bevin. But almost three-quarters of voters have no opinion of Bevin.

( QUIZ: Do you know Alison Lundergan Grimes?)

Few observers believe Bevin can beat McConnell. But the challenger’s presence is forcing McConnell to spend money and fend off attacks ahead of the general election.

The poll surveyed 603 likely general election voters from Oct. 24 to Oct. 29, and has a margin of error of +/- 4 percentage points.