Sand holds 12-point lead over Lahn for Iowa governor while Hinson trails Turek in Senate race: Poll

The Democratic candidates for Senate and governor in Iowa are leading in their races , according to a new poll.

In the Suffolk University poll , 48 percent of respondents said Democratic Senate candidate Josh Turek was their “first choice” if the election occurred that day, with 44 percent saying the same of Rep. Ashley Hinson (Iowa), his GOP opponent. Turek’s lead falls within the survey’s margin of error.

Thomas Laehn, a Libertarian candidate, garnered 2 percent backing, while 6 percent were unsure about their choice and 1 percent did not respond.

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The Suffolk poll also found that 55 percent of respondents said they would cast their ballot for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand or were leaning toward doing so if the election occurred that day. Forty-three percent said the same of Sand’s Republican opponent, Zach Lahn, and 2 percent were unsure about their choice in the race to replace retiring Gov. Kim Reynolds (R).

Lahn and Sand clashed in their first televised debate Tuesday night, with three more scheduled before Election Day.

According to the National Governors Association , the last time a Democrat held the governorship of the Hawkeye State was 15 years ago , with Gov. Chet Culver. And on the senatorial side, Iowa’s last Democratic senator was Tom Harkin, who left office in 2015 .

Iowa has been a reliably red state within the last decade, with President Trump carrying it in all three of his presidential runs . However, the national electoral environment appears to be better for Democrats these midterms, with polls leaning their way and Republicans dealing with issues like the unpopular Iran war, Trump’s sagging approval rating and concerns about the cost of living.

The nonpartisan election handicapper Cook Political Report rates the Iowa governor’s race as leaning Democratic and the Senate race as a toss-up.

The Suffolk University poll took place Oct. 1-4 among 500 registered voters in Iowa and had 4.4 percentage points as its margin of error.