Poll: U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill trails all Republicans

Democrats and Republicans alike now acknowledge Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill’s reelection campaign is in deep trouble.

It doesn’t matter what Republican opponent wins their Aug 7 primary for the Missouri seat held by McCaskill, she trails far behind, according to a new Mason-Dixon poll released over the weekend. In it, McCaskill trails businessman John Brunner 52 to 41 percent, former state treasurer Sarah Steelman 49 to 41 percent, and Rep. Todd Akin 49 to 44 percent among likely voters surveyed July 23-25 by Mason-Dixon polling for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and News 4. Brunner leads the poll for the Republican nomination. The poll's margin of error was plus or minus 4 percentage points. Republicans have campaigned relentlessly, sensing McCaskill is weak and tied to President Obama's policies; Obama’s poll numbers are equally dismal in Missouri, a state he lost by less than 4,000 votes in 2008. But this cycle, both parties regard Missouri as Romney territory rather than a swing state with the election still months away. Respondents to the Mason-Dixon poll gave President Barack Obama a high unfavorable rating of 51 percent with a low 34 percent favorable rating. Mitt Romney received a 27 percent unfavorable and a 39 percent favorable rating among likely voters surveyed. Vice President Joe Biden campaigned in Missouri earlier this month in an effort to boost the beleaguered senator’s chances for reelection. For their part, Republicans need to net four seats to take control of the U.S. Senate, or three seats if Mitt Romney wins the presidency; the Vice President votes with the Senate.