Poll: Iowa Senate race a dead heat

Iowa state Sen. Joni Ernst (R) is in a virtual tie with Rep. Bruce Braley (D), inching ahead by 1 percentage point with less than three weeks remaining until Election Day.

{mosads}Des Moines Register released the Bloomberg/Des Moines Register poll Saturday, showing Ernst at 47 percent and Braley on her heels at 46 percent among likely voters.

In a poll conducted by the newspaper last month, Ernst led Braley 44 percent to 38 percent.

The race between Ernst and Braley is considered one of the most competitive in the country and pivotal in the GOP’s drive to win the Senate majority.

The Iowa Poll of 1,000 likely voters in the 2014 general election has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

This post was udpated at 8 p.m.