Dem poll: Carmona (D) up 4 over Flake in ARIZONA

10/10/12 3:02 PM EDT

An internal poll for Senate Democrats shows former U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona leading Republican Rep. Jeff Flake by 4 percentage points – a figure consistent with recent polling that has the candidates locked in a dead heat.

The poll results, outlined in a memo obtained by POLITICO on Wednesday, shows Carmona with a 47 percent to 43 percent advantage over Flake. That falls within the +/- 4 percent margin of error. The poll, conducted by Harstad Strategic Research Inc. for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, surveyed 602 likely Arizona voters from Sunday to Tuesday through live phone calls.

Democrats noted that of the voters surveyed, 39 percent identified themselves as Republican and 30 percent as Democrat, a more Republican sample than the state’s current voter registration. Carmona also led among registered independents 51 percent to 38 percent.

The poll was released on a crucial day in the Arizona Senate race. Carmona and Flake are sitting down at 4 p.m. ET with the editorial board of the Arizona Republic, the state’s largest newspaper. The event will be streamed live here. The candidates then will meet tonight in their first televised debate. Then, former President Bill Clinton stumps with Carmona at Arizona State University. Early voting starts Thursday.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/burns-haberman/2012/10/dem-poll-carmona-up-over-flake-138054.html

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