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Republican Rep. Bob Turner entered the New York Senate race last month with the hopes of mounting a serious challenge against Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, but a new Quinnipiac University poll released early Thursday shows a majority of likely voters in the April 24 GOP presidential primary are undecided about their preferred Senate nominee -- and, even if nominated, Turner starts the race facing a daunting, 30-point deficit against the well-funded, popular incumbent.

In the primary, Turner leads attorney Wendy Long, 19 percent to 11 percent. The third candidate in the race, Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos, is third, with 7 percent. But 63 percent of likely primary voters are either undecided, say they would choose another candidate or say they would not vote if the Senate election was on their ballot. The Senate primary will be held on June 26, about two months after the presidential primary.

All three GOP candidates would be heavy underdogs against Gillibrand, who, at 60 percent, sports her highest job-approval ratings in Quinnipiac's polling thus far. Gillibrand leads Turner, 57 percent to 27 percent, and her leads against Long (33 percentage points) and Maragos (34 points) are even larger. Gillibrand -- who is seeking a full, six-year term -- garners roughly half of the vote among independents, leading the three Republican candidates each by a minimum of 24 points.