In an election for Governor of Washington state today, 10/15/12, Democrat Jay Inslee edges Republican Rob McKenna 47% to 44%, according to a SurveyUSA poll conducted for KING-TV in Seattle. In 4 SurveyUSA polls of likely voters going back to August, Inslee has led by 3 points, 5 points, 6 points and now by 3 points again.

Compared to SurveyUSA's most recent poll on 10/01/12, McKenna has gained ground among voters age 50+, where Inslee had led by 8 points and now trails by 2. There is offsetting movement among political moderates, where Inslee had led by 15, now leads by 28.

Inslee's Net Favorability has declined to Plus 7, which is the lowest rating SurveyUSA has recorded among likely voters. 35% today have a favorable opinion of Inslee, 28% have an unfavorable opinion. In previous measurements, Inslee had been at Plus 11, Plus 13, and Plus 10.

McKenna's Net Favorability is at Plus 11 today. In previous measurements, his Net Favorability was at Plus 16, Plus 14, and Plus 8.

* By 43% to 32%, voters today say Inslee would be more likely to raise taxes.
* By 42% to 35%, voters today say McKenna would be stronger on education. This is a departure from 3 previous polls, when McKenna and Inslee were never more than 1 point apart.

Cell-phone and home-phone respondents included in this research: SurveyUSA interviewed 700 adults 10/12/12 through 10/14/12. Of the adults, 628 were registered to vote in Washington state. Of the registered, 543 were determined by SurveyUSA to be likely to vote on or before Election Day 11/06/12. This research was conducted using blended sample, mixed mode. Respondents reachable on a home telephone (75% of likely voters) were interviewed on their home phone in the recorded voice of a professional announcer. Respondents not reachable on a home telephone were shown a questionnaire on their smartphone, tablet or other electronic device.