Mike Castle Leads Beau Biden in Race for Delaware Senate Seat

Nine-term Republican Rep. Mike Castle leads state Attorney General Beau Biden by 45 percent to 39 percent in the race to fill the Senate seat vacated by Biden's father, Vice President Joe Biden, according to a Public Policy Polling survey conducted Nov. 30-Dec. 2. Sixteen percent are undecided. The margin of error is 4.1 percent.

Castle is seen favorably by 55 percent of Delaware voters and unfavorably by 28 percent, with 18 percent undecided. Biden's favorable-to-unfavorable ratio is 43 percent to 35 percent, with 21 percent undecided.

Castle draws 20 percent of Democratic voters while maintaining support among 79 percent of fellow Republicans. He leads Biden among independents by 52 percent to 23 percent, with 25 percent undecided.

"Mike Castle has more appeal to Democrats and independents than any other Republican Senate candidate in the country, and that's allowing him to hold the early lead in this race," said PPP's Dean Debnam.

PPP noted that there had been speculation that Castle's vote against health care reform legislation might hurt him, but he may have been on the right side of public opinion in a state where 46 percent oppose the plan and 43 percent support it.