As the midterm election nears, the Iowa Senate race goes neck and neck with Republican Sen. Joni Ernst leading by a narrow 2 percent over Democratic rival U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley, according to an Oct. 15 poll by the independent Quinnipiac University.

The Iowa race has so far been at a virtual dead heat with poll results shifting in favor from one candidate to the other in an arena that could well determine control of the U.S. Senate come January.

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While Braley enjoyed a likely voter lead of 50-44 percent in the polls last month, the recent poll found a shift in favor of Ernst with 47-45 percent.

And with the November election only three weeks away, 10 percent of Iowa constituents are still undecided on a Senate candidate. Most of those undecided are independents who typically have a negative view of both candidates, USA Today relayed.

At this point, independent voters have shown more favor toward Braley 48-43 percent, a change Ernst's 50-43 percent last month.

An unlikely twist in the Iowa Senate race is the reverse gender gap which has widened from last month's poll results, said Quinnipiac Poll assistant director Peter Brown.

More women voters have shown support for the male Democrat 52-39 percent - an increase from September's 50-44 percent - while the men back the female GOP incumbent 56-38 percent which remains virtually the same from last month's 56-39 percent.

But a majority of voters still seem to be basing their choices on partisanship.

The Democrats leaned in favor of Braley 89-7 percent compared to 90-7 percent last month. Likewise, Ernst had the support of fellow-Republicans with 95-2 percent, up from September's 87-7 percent.

Akin to most of this year's Senate races, Iowa has been a high-profile personality-driven contest.

For instance, a GOP campaign targeted Braley for a past dispute involving a neighbor's chickens. The matter was privately settled.

Nevertheless, 72 percent of Iowans said the dispute did not hold weight when it came to deciding on a Senate candidate while 18 percent said otherwise, according to a separate USA Today/Suffolk University poll.

Braley has also attacked Ernst and called her a radical Tea Party conservative similar to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz who voted to pull the plug on the federal government and thinks President Barack Obama should be impeached.

TagsIowa Senate Race, Joni Ernst, Bruce Braley, midterm elections, Senate, Quinnipiac University poll, USA Today/Suffolk University poll