- Washington Free Beacon - https://freebeacon.com -

Poll: Blackburn Leading Bredesen by 4 Points in Tennessee Senate Race

A new poll shows Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R., Tenn.) leading former Gov. Phil Bredesen (D.) by 4 points in their closely watched U.S. Senate race in Tennessee.

Blackburn (48 percent) led Bredesen (44 percent) in the Gravis survey after recent polls showed Bredesen leading his opponent, including one in late March giving him a 10-point lead.

Bredesen has sought to portray himself as a moderate to win in the red state he led from 2003 to 2011, while Blackburn has wholeheartedly embraced the Donald Trump platform in her bid to reach the upper chamber.

The race is crucial to GOP hopes to holding onto control of the U.S. Senate, where Republicans currently have a 51-49 majority. Tennessee hasn't elected a Democratic Senator since Al Gore won in 1990. He resigned when he was elected Vice President in 1992 and Republicans haven't lost a Senate race in Tennessee since.

Blackburn and Bredesen are vying for the seat being vacated by Sen. Bob Corker (R., Tenn.), who has voiced strong criticism of the Trump White House and is retiring after he concludes his second term. Corker had a 38 percent approval rating, with 46 percent disapproving, in the Gravis survey.

The poll also showed Trump, who endorsed Blackburn, has a 54 percent approval rating in the state. He carried Tennessee in a landslide in 2016 as he swept the southeast against Hillary Clinton.

Other findings in the poll showed a majority of Tennesseans disapproved of the mainstream media's performance (56 percent), opposed abolishing Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (59 percent against), and believed Judge Brett Kavanaugh was qualified to be on the Supreme Court (52 percent against 22 percent saying he wasn't qualified).