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Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., leads GOP Rep. Todd Akin by 14 points in a new internal poll conducted for her campaign.

The poll, conducted by Kiley and Company, shows McCaskill with 52 percent support to Akin's 38 percent. It's an increase from her lead in their previous poll, conducted in late September, which showed the senator leading her embattled opponent 50 percent to 41 percent.

McCaskill holds a substantial lead among independent voters in the poll; they prefer her to the congressman by 24 points (56 percent to 32 percent). The survey also finds a big lead among female voters, with McCaskill getting 56 percent support to Akin's 35 percent.

Fifty percent of respondents say their opinions of Akin have become less favorable based on things they have heard or read in the past two weeks.

Over these past few weeks, McCaskill has released TV ads related to Akin's comments that "legitimate rape" rarely causes pregnancy, hammering him on opposing emergency contraception for victims of rape and incest.

Earlier this week, Akin touted an automated Republican poll that showed him with a narrow lead in the race.

The poll, conducted Oct. 14-15, surveyed 601 likely voters, for a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3.5 percentage points.