Public Policy Polling. 9/1-4. Likely voters. MoE ±3.7% (4/21-24 results):
Joe Manchin (D-inc): 52 (48)
Shelley Moore Capito (R): 36 (40)
Undecided: 13 (12)
Joe Manchin (D-inc): 60 (63)
David McKinley (R): 24 (25)
Undecided: 16 (12)
Joe Manchin (D-inc): 62 (61)
John Raese (R): 23 (29)
Undecided: 14 (10)
A number of Beltway prognosticators still have the WV-Sen race high on their vulnerability lists, perhaps because of the state's decidedly reddish turn at the presidential level and 2010 special election winner Joe Manchin's brief tenure, or maybe because they expect Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (the state's most noteworthy Republican) to get in. Might be time for them to rethink this, as today's results from PPP have him looking like one of the safest Dems up for re-election next year, safer than, say, Bob Casey Jr., or maybe even Dianne Feinstein (who hasn't been polled in head-to-heads but is sporting some mediocre approvals). Even against Capito, whose safe-ish House seat emerged little changed from redistricting and who has done nothing to indicate she's doing anything next year other than running for re-election to the House, Manchin leads by 16. He leads by 36 and 39 against two other guys who aren't likely to run either, freshman Rep. David McKinley and rich guy/'10 Senate race loser John Raese.
Manchin sports 59/26 approval ratings, still a far cry from his 70%+ popularity when he was Governor but still putting him in the top 5 among Senators who've been polled by PPP. Interestingly, and predictably, the moderate Manchin's worst approvals, among all ideological groups, is among the "very liberal" (50/38); he actually fares better among "very conservative" voters. Capito clocks in at 51/33, but apparently that's not enough to overcome the historic Democratic lean here (at least at the non-presidential level).