"Washington Senate: Cantwell (D) Slide Continues"

From the poll by Rasmussen Reports:

Thanks largely to her support for the war in Iraq, electoral support for Senator Maria Cantwell (D) has slipped once again—for the fifth survey in a row.

In the latest Rasmussen Reports poll of an increasingly competitive U.S. Senate race, Senator Cantwell now leads former Safeco CEO Mike McGavick (R) 44% to 40%. She led by five points in May, eight in April, thirteen in March, fifteen in January.

Cantwell is viewed favorably by 53% of likely votes, unfavorably by 42%. However, just 25% view Cantwell Very Favorably while 20% view her Very Unfavorably.

McGavick is viewed favorably by 46%, unfavorably by 35%. The Republican is less well known than the incumbent he is challenging and fewer voters have firm opinions of him—just 16% say they have a Very Favorable opinion of McGavick while 12% hold a Very Unfavorable opinion.

Cantwell attracts slightly more support from Democrats (82%) than McGavick does from Republicans (80%), but 8% of Democrats now say they would vote for another candidate altogether given a Cantwell-McGavick match-up. Only 1% of GOP voters feel that way.

In addition to her pro-war stance, Cantwell provoked the ire of some Democrats by being one of the few Democratic senators to oppose an attempt to block the nomination of Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court. Still, she is viewed favorably by 87% of her party, with only 9% reporting a Somewhat Unfavorable view, only 2% a Very Unfavorable one. However, her numbers among unaffiliated voters are evenly divided between Favorable and Unfavorable.

Fifty-three percent (53%) of likely voters approve of the job Christine Gregoire, the Democratic Governor, is doing; 45% disapprove.

When asked about presidential prospects, a plurality of voters say they prefer a Democrat as our next President. Nonetheless, likely Republican candidates are viewed a bit more favorably than likely Democratic ones. But the discrepancies are not as wide as in some other states we've surveyed about the 2008 presidential campaign.