Question: If the elections for Senator were being held today, which candidate would you vote for, Democrat Claire McCaskill, Republican Jim Talent or another candidate?

Likely voters
Claire McCaskill (D) 48%
Jim Talent (R) 45%
Other 2%
Undecided 6%

Registered voters
Claire McCaskill (D) 44%
Jim Talent (R) 39%
Other 2%
Undecided 6%

About this Poll
Results are based on telephone interviews with 911 Registered voters in Missouri, aged 18+, conducted September 27-October 1, 2006.� For results based on this sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the margin of sampling error is �4 percentage points.

Results for likely voters in Missouri are based on the subsample of 577 survey respondents deemed most likely to vote in the November 2006 Midterm Election, according to a series of questions measuring current voting intentions and past voting behavior. For results based on the total sample of likely voters, one can say with 95% confidence that the margin of sampling error is ±5 percentage points. Based on past voting history in Missouri, turnout is assumed to be 40% of the voting age population.

In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.