By Kevin Murphy
KANSAS CITY, Missouri | Sat Oct 27, 2012 6:31pm EDT
(Reuters) - Democratic Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill holds a slim lead of 2 percentage points over Republican challenger Todd Akin - essentially a deadlock - in a race being closely watched following Akin's controversial comments on "legitimate rape," a poll released on Saturday showed.
McCaskill had been seen as one of the most vulnerable incumbent Democrats but has led Akin in most polls since he said in August that women could biologically defend themselves against pregnancy caused by "legitimate rape."
Akin said later he misspoke when he made the remark, which led to widespread rebukes even from within his own party, but the six-term member of the U.S. House resisted calls to step aside.
McCaskill led Akin by 45 percent to 43 percent, within the 4-point margin of error for the survey of 625 registered voters conducted from Tuesday through Thursday by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research.
The poll showed 8 percent undecided and 4 percent backing Libertarian candidate Jonathan Dine.
Mason-Dixon conducted the survey for the Kansas City Star, St. Louis Post-Dispatch and St. Louis-based KMOV-TV. The respondents were interviewed by phone and all indicated they were likely to vote in the November 6 general election.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/27/us-usa-campaign-missouri-senate-idUSBRE89Q0EH20121027
So....McCaskill has led in "most" polls since August, but, shortly before election day, Mason Dixon found a dead heat.
WWGPS? (What would Gomer Pyle say?)