From
OurSenate:
"September 6, 2005--Republican Senator Jim Talent is tied with Democrat Claire McCaskill in the first Rasmussen Reports poll for this Election 2006 match-up. This early election poll finds both candidates attracting 46% of the vote..."
...McCaskill has several things going for her. First and most importantly, for a challenger to be tied with an incumbent is never good news for the incumbent. Second, she is doing well with two very important swing age groups: youth and seniors. And third, there is a gender gap, which is crucial for Democrats to win elections. If women are too 50/50, Democrats always lose because men are more strongly Republican. So this must mean that McCaskill has a clear edge with Missouri women, something she didn't enjoy in her 2004 gubernatorial race. In short, prepare for a bloody, expensive, competitive race, right in the heartland of America.
Read the whole analysis at OurSenate