Poll: Ayotte holds slim lead over Hassan in NH Senate race

GOP Sen. Kelly Ayotte holds a slim lead over Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan in a race that could determine the Senate majority. 

{mosads}A UMass Lowell/7News poll released Thursday found Ayotte with just a 1-point lead over Hassan, 45 to 44 percent. Libertarian Brian Chabot follows, with 4 percent. 

Just 6 percent of likely voters remain undecided, the poll found, and a vast majority of voters on both sides say they are set in their decision.  

Ayotte and Hassan have nearly the same level of support among their party’s voters — 84 percent to 88 percent, respectively, but the poll found Ayotte doing better with independents. 

Hassan has been using GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump against her opponent — especially since Ayotte recently had to walk back her comment that Trump is a role model. 

The same poll found Democrat Hillary Clinton with a 6-point lead over Trump in New Hampshire. 

The race between Hassan and Ayotte could help determine which party controls the upper chamber. Republicans are defending far more seats, and Democrats only need to net five spots — four if Clinton wins the presidency — to regain the majority. 

The poll was conducted from Oct. 7 to 11 among 654 registered voters. It has a margin of error of 4.35 percentage points.