COLUMBIA – Democratic gubernatorial nominee James Smith released a poll Wednesday suggesting the race for governor is within his reach.

A spokeswoman for Gov. Henry McMaster's campaign, however, said the poll was paid for by the Smith campaign and is not an accurate measure of the race.

The poll of 605 likely general election voters in South Carolina found 43 percent supporting Smith and 47 percent backing McMaster, with 10 percent undecided and a 4.1-percent margin of error.

It was conducted by the Garin-Hart-Yang Research Group.

“These are encouraging numbers," Smith said in a press release. "The more people know about Henry McMaster, the more certain they are that he puts politics ahead of the people of South Carolina. And the more they get to know me, the more confidence they have that I can provide the new leadership they’re looking for."

More:Will Gov. McMaster’s Planned Parenthood order get South Carolina sued?

More:He could be your next governor. But for James Smith, there are pitfalls that Democrats face

The poll found that far more respondents knew of McMaster than of Smith, who served in the state House representing a Columbia district for more than two decades.

According to the poll, 39 percent think McMaster is “a strong leader,” 38 percent believe he “puts South Carolina ahead of politics” and 37 percent “have confidence that McMaster is honest.”

After hearing positive biographical information about both candidates, the same respondents prefer Smith, 51 percent to 46 percent for McMaster, according to Smith's campaign.

“A strong majority of South Carolinians find James’ background and nonpartisan, practical approach to leadership very appealing,” the pollster concluded, according to the press release, adding that “if James is able to communicate this message to a broader statewide audience and raise his name ID, he has a very strong chance to win this November.”

The poll was conducted between Aug. 6 and 9.

Garin-Hart-Yang reported interviewing a representative sample of likely voters on landlines and cellphones.

McMaster campaign spokeswoman Caroline Anderegg said a more accurate poll of the race was done by the Tarrance Group for the Republican Governor's Association, showing McMaster leading Smith 52-41 percent.

"For (Smith's poll by Garin-Hart-Yang) to be treated as a barometer of where this race is would be pretty absurd," Anderegg said.

The Republican Governor's Association poll was done a week later with about the same number of voters and the same margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.