New poll: O’Donnell gains on Coons

Congressman Mike Castle, a possible write-in candidate, shows up on latest Rasmussen survey.

It’s possible a write-in campaign by Republican Congressman Mike Castle could hurt Democrat Chris Coons more than Republican Christine O’Donnell in the Delaware campaign for U.S. Senate.

A new Rasmussen Reports poll of likely Delaware voters finds Coons with a 49 to 40 percent advantage. Castle, who lost to O’Donnell in the state’s GOP Primary, picks up five percent.

The race has tightened when compared to the first post-primary poll conducted by Rasmussen on Sept. 15, when Coons held an 11-point lead. The reason for the slight change could be due to the possibility of Castle running as a write-in.

Rasmussen notes, “polling for write-in candidates is always challenging, so results should be interpreted with caution.”

For this survey, Rasmussen asked respondents about a choice between Coons and O’Donnell without mentioning Castle. That is the choice voters will see when they enter the voting booth. However, when response options were offered to survey respondents, Castle’s name was mentioned.

Castle has not indicated that he will run a write-in campaign. The deadline to register is Sept. 30.