Governors race poll has John Bel Edwards polling even with David Vitter

Republican U.S. Sen. David Vitter is running even with Democratic State Rep. John Bel Edwards in the Louisiana race for governor, according to new poll released Wednesday, though it's not clear how the two would match up in a runoff election.

The poll, conducted by Jackson, Miss.-based Triumph Campaigns, had Edwards capturing 30 percent of the vote and Vitter taking 31 percent of the vote; the poll had a 2.4 percent margin of error. Republican Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle polled at 14 percent and Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne polled at 11 percent.

Fourteen percent of voters identified themselves as undecided. The poll of 1,653 likely voters was conducted on June 30. The poll was automated, meaning it did not involve callers conducting live interviews, and it did not reach cell phone users.

The poll did not ask voters to pick between Edwards and Vitter if they were to face each other in a runoff. In Louisiana's unique primary system, this question is key later in the race because according to Triumph's numbers, neither candidate is polling high enough to avoid a runoff election.

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