After losing his 2006 bid for Congress by just over 300 votes, teacher Larry Kissell wants another shot at Republican Rep. Robin Hayes. A new poll shows that Kissell starts off in great position to steal the seat; he even leads his opponent, which is extremely rare for a challenger.

The survey is a little old; SEIU and the Center for American Progress hired respected Democratic firm Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research to conduct the poll 11/13-15. 400 likely voters were surveyed for a margin of error of +/- 5%. Kissell and Hayes were tested.

General Election Matchup
Kissell 49
Hayes 47

A generic Democrat leads a generic Republican in the district by a wide 52%-39% margin, while a whopping 58% disapprove of President Bush's job performance. The district, based around I-85 in North Carolina's section of the Piedmont, has been competitive for decades. Hayes won just 56% in his easiest election, in 2004, and barely won his first race, in 1998, despite heavily outspending his opponent. After such a narrow loss two years ago, the DCCC is going to make sure that Kissell is well-funded this year.