The race for Larry Craig's old Senate seat will likely be a rematch between two candidates who faced off in 2006 for Lieutenant Governor. A new poll from the Spud State shows the result could be the same as the last time, when incumbent Republican Jim Risch defeated former Rep. Larry LaRocco.

The survey, taken for LaRocco's campaign by Lake Research Partners, a Democratic research firm, polled 500 likely voters between 5/20-25 for a margin of error of +/- 4.4%. Risch, LaRocco and rancher Rex Rammell, running as an independent, were tested.

General Election Matchup
Risch..........43
LaRocco.....28
Rammell........6

Risch won gratitude from fellow Republicans when, after being elevated to governor following Dirk Kempthorne's appointment to U.S. Interior Secretary, he declined to enter the gubernatorial primary in favor of then-Rep. Butch Otter. In return, the state GOP virtually handed Risch the nomination to replace Craig in the Senate.

Still, Risch's approval ratings probably aren't as high as he would like. 49% approve of his job as lieutenant governor, but just 42% said he did an excellent or good job as interim governor. 38% said his performance was fair or poor. And just 44% of the state views him favorably, while 23% view him unfavorably.

LaRocco isn't in much better position. The two-term Congressman served from 1991 to 1995, before being ousted in the Republican landslide in 1994. Fourteen years later, just 29% of Idahoans see the Democrat favorably, while 20% view him unfavorably. In a state in which President Bush won 68% of the vote in 2004, LaRocco will be a serious underdog all year. Perhaps, he hopes, Craig becomes Risch's most visible surrogate.