Jay Nixon (D)
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (Legal Newsline)-Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon leads in the race to be the Show Me State's next governor, a poll indicates.
Nixon, the Democratic nominee, will face the winner of the Republican nomination in November.
Seeking the GOP nomination is U.S. Rep. Kenny Hulshof and state Treasurer Sarah Steelman. In the Republican race, Hulshof leads Steelman.
The poll shows Hulshof with 32 percent support, Steelman with 24 percent, other candidates with 17 percent, and 27 percent undecided, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Monday.
But both candidates trail Nixon for general election, the poll of 800 likely voters shows.
In a hypothetical general election match up, Nixon leads Hulshof 52 percent to 35 percent. He leads Steelman 53 percent to 34 percent.
The poll, conducted by Research 2000 for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and KMOV-TV, has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.
Nixon's significant lead in the gubernatorial race has been attributed to his 16 years as a high-profile Missouri attorney general, frequently capturing statewide headlines for his consumer protection efforts.
Running to replace Nixon in the attorney general's office is Republican state Senate President Pro Tem Michael Gibbons and Democratic state Reps. Margaret Donnelly, Jeff Harris and Chris Koster.
The winner of the August 5 Democratic primary will face Gibbons in November.
From Legal Newsline: Reach reporter Chris Rizo at chrisrizo@legalnewsline.com.