Republican Joni Ernst taken a solid lead over Democratic Rep. Bruce Braley in the Iowa Senate race, a new poll shows.
The Des Moines Register survey of likely voters shows Ernst leading 44-38 in a race that had long been deadlocked.
Braley, a Congressman for eight years, is losing in his home district, according to the Register. Almost 60 percent fault him him for his role in helping pass the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.
Braley also trails in the Real Clear Politics average of all polls, though not by as much as in the Register’s survey. The RCP average puts Ernst ahead 45.2-43.
The race has been neck-and-neck since June, with the candidates frequently separated by less than a percentage point, according to RCP.
The Register poll was taken from Sept. 8-24.
Ernst and Braley are vying for the seat being vacated by the retirement of Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa.
The poll of 546 likely voters has a margin of error of 4.2 percentage points.
