Poll: Reid failing to move up

Another month closer to Election Day and Sen. Harry Reid still is failing to catch fire among likely voters, according to a new poll released today by Rasmussen Reports.

The poll also captures a generally sour mood among Nevada voters, with majorities unhappy with incumbents, unhappy with the health care reform bill enacted into law last month and willing to believe the Tea Party over the average member of Congress.

In the Senate race, the latest survey conducted March 31 suggests Reid is falling farther behind former GOP party chairwoman Sue Lowden, the presumed front runner among Republican challengers.

The polling conducted on March 31 showed Lowden up 54 percent to 39 percent over the Democratic incumbent. The margin of error was plus or minus 4.9 percentage points in the questions that were posed to 500 likely voters.

It also showed Sharron Angle, the former Reno assemblywoman, beating Reid 51 percent to 40 percent, and Las Vegas businessman Danny Tarkanian up 49 percent to 42 percent over Reid.

"Broadly speaking, the numbers continue to show what they showed in early March and have shown consistently for months -- that Reid is an at-risk incumbent," the firm, which has been polling monthly in Nevada, said in its analysis.

More than half -- 53 percent -- of poll respondents had a "very unfavorable" impression of Reid, which Rasmussen said was a telling statistic at this point. The poll was released as Reid began a three-day campaign tour in Nevada in an effort to get some wind behind his candidacy.

On his tour bus, Reid told Laura Myers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal that polls at this point are not relevant because they are one-on-one matchups while there will be more than a half dozen candidates on the ballot in November.

"I'm not a big poll guy," Reid said in dismissing surveys.

Among other results of the Rasmussen poll:

• Obama rates a 42 percent approval rating while 58 percent either somewhat or strongly disapprove of his job performance.

• 62 percent said they thought it would be "better if most incumbents were defeated," while 22 percent said it would be better if incumbents were re-elected.

• When it comes to who has a better understanding of the problems facing America, 50 percent said the "average Tea Party member" while 34 percent said the "average member of Congress."

• In separate polling, Rasmussen said 62 percent of Nevada voters favor repealing the health care law, which was higher than support for repeal nationally, at 54 percent.