Poll finds Porter, Titus in statistical tie
State Sen. Dina Titus may have a slight edge in her battle to unseat Rep. Jon Porter, but the race remains essentially tied, according to a new poll of the 3rd Congressional District commissioned by a liberal Web site.
The poll of 400 likely 3rd District voters, conducted by Maryland-based Research 2000 last week for Daily Kos, found Titus, the Democratic challenger, leading Porter, the Republican incumbent, 47 percent to 45 percent.
The razor-thin margin was within the poll's margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.
Most other public polls have also found a close race for the 3rd District, which covers mostly suburban areas of Clark County, including Henderson and parts of Summerlin.
Porter hopes to win re-election to a fourth term, while Titus, the unsuccessful Democratic nominee for governor in 2006, hopes to capitalize on the increased number of registered Democrats in the district. In 2006, Porter won by less than 2 percentage points.
The poll found Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama winning his race in the district by a slightly larger margin than Titus in hers, 48 percent to 44 percent.
It also found that although both Democrats had a huge edge among those who have already taken advantage of early voting, the Republicans stand to make up significant ground among those who still intend to vote.
In the poll, Titus was the choice of 56 percent of those who had already voted, Porter 44 percent. But among likely voters who haven't yet cast ballots, the two were tied at 46 percent apiece.
Obama had the votes of 56 percent of those polled who had already voted, versus 38 percent for Republican nominee John McCain. Among those polled who hadn't voted, it was Obama 47 percent, McCain 45 percent.
A spokesman for Porter said the poll was a good sign for the congressman because it showed Titus lagging behind Obama's level of support.
"If this poll is accurate, it means that despite the Democrats' wave, Porter has the momentum," Matt Leffingwell said.
Titus spokesman Andrew Stoddard, however, said the poll was proof that Titus is winning despite a relentless attack campaign waged by Porter. Stoddard said: "Voters in the 3rd District are turned off by Congressman Porter's constant lies about Dina Titus."
Contact reporter Molly Ball at mball @reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2919.
