The poll also shows a racial divide: Blacks overwhelmingly favor Kander, while Blunt shows a lead among whites of more than 20 points. Each candidate wins roughly nine of 10 voters in their respective parties, while Blunt has a narrow lead among self-identified independents.

The poll contains two warning signs for Blunt, pollster Brad Coker said. Incumbents who poll under 50 percent are generally viewed to be vulnerable. And while Blunt is far more known than Kander, Blunt’s roughly 1-1 ratio of voters who are favorable vs. those who are unfavorable toward him pales next to Kander’s 2-1 favorable-to-unfavorable ratio.

Almost one in four poll respondents said they did not know who Kander was, presaging a fierce campaign battle between now and Nov. 8 to define Kander’s character and positions.

Blunt is known by virtually everyone in the state, and has less room to improve his image. Mason-Dixon said that 33 percent of respondents had a favorable view of Blunt, 31 percent were unfavorable and 33 percent remained neutral.

Kander’s corresponding numbers were 26 percent favorable, 13 percent unfavorable and 38 percent neutral, with 23 percent saying they didn’t recognize him. That means that six of 10 Missourians are still forming opinions of him, almost twice the percentage saying the same thing about Blunt.