George Allen up 3 points over Kaine in new poll

George Allen is up three points over Tim Kaine in the Virginia U.S Senate race, according to a new poll reported by David Sherfinski with The Washington Times, who wrote on Thursday:

Republican George Allen holds a 3-point lead over Democrat Tim Kaine in the U.S. Senate race in Virginia, according to a new survey conducted for Mr. Allen's campaign by the firm of GOP pollster John McLaughlin — another signal that the recent bounce Republicans are enjoying has not yet faded.

Both candidates have the backing from their base so both are battling for independent voters who continue to break in Allen's favor.

Sherfinski continued:

... Mr. Allen's 3-point lead, at 49 percent to 46 percent, is driven by independents, who back the Republican by a 6-point margin, 47 percent to 41 percent. Both candidates have 49 percent favorability ratings, but Mr. Kaine's unfavorables are higher than Mr. Allen's, at 44 percent to 38 percent.

With the latest news that Mitt Romney is leading by 5-7 points over Barack Obama in the presidential race in Virginia, and a surprise move Wednesday by Suffolk University pollsters to leave Virginia because of their opinion that Obama cannot win there (along with Florida and North Carolina), it can only help Allen as he races for the finish line.

The poll was taken October 8 and 9, the day of and after the recent "People's Debate" from Richmond, using 600 likely voters, broken down into 30.5 percent Republican, 30.3 percent Democrat, and 38.2 percent Independent.

With less than four weeks until Election Day, Allen may finally be starting to pull away in a race that has been neck-in-neck for over a year.