A new baseline poll, sponsored by DailyKos and conducted by Research 2000, surely has many Democrats wishing that former Sen. Bob Kerrey hadn't turned them down. The poll, conducted 11/12-14, surveyed 600 likely voters for a margin of error of +/- 4%.

Former Gov. Mike Johanns and Attorney General Jon Bruning were surveyed on the GOP side, while Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey and 2006 Congressional candidate Scott Kleeb were the Democrats tested.

General Election Matchups
(All / Dem / GOP / Ind)
Johanns 59 / 20 / 86 / 58
Kleeb 28 / 62 / 6 / 28

Bruning 55 / 17 / 82 / 52
Kleeb 29 / 63 / 6 / 29

Johanns 57 / 18 / 84 / 54
Fahey 33 / 70 / 8 / 33

Bruning 55 / 17 / 82 / 53
Fahey 34 / 71 / 9 / 34

Fav/Unfav
Johanns 59 / 25
Bruning 48 / 28
Fahey 37 / 17
Kleeb 28 / 9

It looks like Democrats will need to get very lucky if they hope to take retiring Sen. Chuck Hagel's seat.