Not unexpected, since Whitehouse seems to be more active on the campaign trail and more vocal on key issues. However, it’s important to note that this is a campaign-sponsored poll, so while the pollsters are responsible for its validity, question-phrasing can skew the results.

The larger question is how Whitehouse will fare against the Republican primary-winner. Since the NRSC has done the Democrats the great favor of portraying Steve Laffey as a cartoon character from the bizarro world of Laffeyland, that most likely leaves Whitehouse with the mighty challenge of unseating incumbent Lincoln Chafee. Many Rhode Island Democrats have held their nose and voted for Chafee in the past, based on his stance on abortion, among other things. It’s important to remember that Chafee’s stance on abortion has been questioned in recent months, when he did not support a filibuster of the nomination of conservative Supreme Court Judge Samuel Alito.