•IA-Sen: The numbers look good for Democratic Rep. Bruce Braley in Iowa's open-seat Senate race next year, according to PPP's new poll, though both sides have a ways to go in terms of upping their name recognition. Here's how Braley performs against the Republican field:
• 43-34 vs. former U.S. Attorney Matt WhitakerWe have no trendlines to look at because the last time PPP polled this race, back in February, they tested all the plausible top-tier recruits the GOP hoped they might land. Of course, we all know how that turned out, so this is Braley's first time getting paired with the B Team. Braley's favorables have actually moved up a bit, from 29-24 to 34-24, but that means he still has a lot of people to introduce himself to. That goes doubly so for the Republicans, the best-known of whom is Whitaker, with a favorability rating of just 9-15.• 45-33 vs. state Sen. Joni Ernst
• 44-32 vs. former energy company CEO Mark Jacobs
• 43-31 vs. radio host Sam Clovis
• 45-32 vs. former Chuck Grassley chief-of-staff David Young
As Tom Jensen notes, a lot of Republican voters are still undecided simply because their candidates are so anonymous, and most of those folks will come home in the end. I'd also add that the sample might be a touch bluer than what we'll see come next November. But in the meantime, all the GOP hopefuls (whose fundraising has been unimpressive so far) have to fight it out with one another in a primary, and perhaps a convention as well, if no candidate gets 35 percent.
Indeed, that possibility grew on Wednesday with Ernst's announcement that she has filed paperwork for a bid and plans to formally launch her campaign next week. Meanwhile, Braley has another year to build up his profile and raise tons of money, an enviable position to be in, especially when you're ahead in the polls.