Vitter leads Melancon by 12 in Dem poll

Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) leads likely Democratic opponent Rep. Charlie Melancon 44-32 in a new poll by Democratic firm Public Policy Polling.

Just 38 percent of voters say Vitter deserves to be reelected, while 47 percent would like someone else. But Vitter is at 44 percent against both Melancon and a generic Democrat, with the generic Democrat trailing 44-38.

Vitter’s approval rating is also 44 percent, with 36 percent disapproving. Those are not high negatives for a man who is recovering from a prostitution scandal, but it’s pretty clear from this and other polling that Vitter’s support, while good enough for a lead at this point, is pretty soft.

The Vitter primary talk has died off a bit, and the poll gives an indication as to why. More than half – 56 percent – of Republicans say Vitter deserves another term, and 62 percent of GOPers approve of him.