Laxalt narrowly leads Cortez Masto in Nevada Senate race: poll

Republican nominee Adam Laxalt narrowly leads Democratic Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto in the race for the state’s Senate seat, according to a poll from the progressive think thank Data for Progress released on Thursday.

Laxalt holds a 1-point lead over Cortez Masto, with 47 percent of likely voters saying they would support the GOP nominee and 46 percent saying they would back the incumbent senator, according to the poll. The results are within the poll’s margin of error.

Both candidates performed well with members of their own party — 93 percent of Democrats said they would support Cortez Masto and 90 percent of Republicans said they would support Laxalt — but Laxalt had a stronger showing with independents, leading Cortez Masto by 19 points.

Cortez Masto earlier this summer appeared to be leading her Republican opponent. A poll from Suffolk University and the Reno Gazette-Journal last month showed Cortez Mastro holding a solid lead of 7 points, while an AARP poll earlier this month showed her lead narrowing to 4 points.

But the two candidates now seem to be in a dead heat, with an 8 News Now-Emerson College Polling-The Hill survey from earlier this week also showing Cortez Masto and Laxalt only 1 point apart. 

The race — considered a toss-up by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report — is one of several that will likely decide control of the Senate this November.

The Data for Progress poll was conducted from Sept. 14-19 with 874 likely Nevada voters and had a margin of error of 3 percentage points.