New poll finds Bredesen with narrow lead over Blackburn in US Senate race

Former Gov. Phil Bredesen has a slight edge over U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn in a new poll on the U.S. Senate race from a Democratic-leaning firm.

The poll, conducted by North Carolina-based Public Policy Polling, surveyed the views of Tennessee registered voters on the U.S. Senate race, approval of President Donald Trump and health care.

Forty-six percent of the survey’s respondents said they would vote for Bredesen compared to 41 percent for Blackburn if the election were immediately held.

Thirteen percent of respondents said they were not sure.

The poll, which surveyed roughly 1,000 Tennesseans, had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

► More: Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee poll: Bredesen has more support than Blackburn

The latest polling, conducted March 15-16, falls in line with a survey the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee conducted prior to Bredesen’s entrance in the race.

That survey had the same exact numbers as Public Policy Polling, despite coming nearly five months earlier.

Several Republican-aligned polls have indicated a similarly tight race in a showdown between Blackburn and Bredesen. Some polls have shown Blackburn would beat Bredesen.

► More: Poll: Marsha Blackburn holds major lead among GOP voters in matchup against Bob Corker

► More: Blackburn would beat Bredesen in head-to-head matchup, according to poll from Trump-aligned PAC

Bredesen’s slight lead in the latest survey over Blackburn comes despite just 33 percent of respondents saying they were Democrats while 43 percent identified as a Republicans. Twenty-three percent identified as independent or other.

Beyond the U.S. Senate race, the survey found 54 percent of those surveyed approved of Trump’s job performance, while 42 percent had a negative view. Just 4 percent said they were not sure.

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When respondents were also asked to weigh in on the Affordable Care Act, respondents indicated they supported keeping the current law in place over repealing it.

Forty-nine percent of respondents favored keeping the law while 42 percent would like to see it repealed. Nine percent said they were not sure.

Similarly, 47 percent of those surveyed said they disapproved of repeal efforts compared to 37 percent who approved.

When asked if they thought Trump and Republicans in Congress were trying to undermine the health care law, respondents were split. Forty-one percent said they thought Trump and the GOP were working to undermine the law, while 42 percent said the contrary.

Overall, 41 percent of respondents said health care was a “very important issue” in the midterm election, with another 31 percent saying it is the most important topic. Six percent said the issue was not important.

In terms of respondents, 53 percent were women and 83 percent were white while African-Americans made up 14 percent.

The poll was paid for by Protect My Care.

Reach Joel Ebert at jebert@tennessean.com or 615-772-1681 and on Twitter @joelebert29.