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A Rasmussen Poll released on Friday May 23rd, shows Democrat Michelle Nunn leading both her potential rivals in the Georgia U.S. Senate race. Rasmussen polls are notorious for overestimating Republicans and underestimating Democrats, so Nunn’s lead may be even larger than the poll numbers suggest. According to the Rasmussen poll, Nunn has a 45-42 edge over Republican businessman David Perdue. Her lead over Jack Kingston is even greater. In that match-up she holds a 47-41 lead.

The Georgia poll numbers put a significant monkey wrench in the GOP’s attempts to take control of the U.S. Senate in the November election. Republicans need to gain six seats to wrestle control of the Senate away from the Democrats. If the Republicans lose the race in Georgia, that task becomes nearly impossible. Perdue and Kingston will face each other in a primary run-off to be the GOP nominee for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss. Michelle Nunn clinched the Democratic Party nomination on Tuesday, cruising to a lopsided victory in the primary election.

Republican difficulties in Georgia are being mirrored in other Southern states with competitive Senate races as well. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is in danger of losing his seat to Democrat Allison Lundegran Grimes. A recent Bluegrass Poll in that state has Grimes leading 43-42. Republicans were once bullish on sweeping Southern races in North Carolina, Louisiana, and Arkansas, but recent polls also show them trailing in those three contests. Arkansas in particular is not panning out well for Republicans as Democrat Mark Pryor now holds a 51-40 lead in that race, according to an NBC/Marist Poll.

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While November is a long ways away still, and the Georgia Senate race remains competitive, it may serve as a warning sign that Republican prospects for reclaiming the Senate may not be as promising as GOP-friendly pundits would have you believe. In Georgia, the numbers for GOP candidates are already beginning to circle the drain, and the state appears poised to elect a Democrat to represent them in the U.S. Senate.