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Bob Kerrey (Remember Him?) Releases Internal Poll

By Julie Sobel // October 18, 2012 | 5:56 p.m.

A Kerrey comeback? Let's not jump the gun just yet.

But a new internal poll conducted for Bob Kerrey's Nebraska Senate campaign shows the Democratic former senator closing the gap with GOP state Sen. Deb Fischer, lagging by just 5 points -- easily the closest margin he's had in any general-election poll.

In fact, it's the only poll that hasn't showed him losing by double digits.

The poll, conducted for Kerrey's campaign by Hickman Analytics, showed Fischer with 50 percent support to Kerrey's 45 percent support.

But a September Omaha World-Herald poll showed Kerrey losing 52 percent to 42 percent among registered voters, and 56 percent to 40 percent among likely voters. Back in June, a leaked Democratic poll showed Kerrey losing badly as well: 52 percent to 38 percent.

Kerrey has a substantial lead among voters registered as Independents or with a minor party, according to the new internal poll: 56 percent to 37 percent. He also has support from 17 percent of Republicans. Kerrey's campaign notes in a release that Joe Ricketts, whose super PAC support of Fischer helped her to a primary victory, just dumped another $220,000 into the race -- citing it as evidence that the race is close. They also note that the campaign just released a tough new TV ad hitting Fischer on a land dispute she had with neighbors. The Kerrey internal poll, conducted from Oct. 14-16, surveyed 600 likely voters. It has a margin of error of plus-or-minus 4 percentage points.