NASHVILLE (AP) — A new poll says Tennesseans are more moderate than their neighbors think they are.
In the Vanderbilt University poll Thursday, more than six of 10 people surveyed believed fellow state residents are conservative or very conservative.
Only about half of those respondents described themselves that way, a 14 percentage-point gap between perception and reality. About three in 10 considered themselves moderate. Almost 2 in 10 identified as liberal.
The wide-spanning poll found Republican U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn has the highest name recognition in the U.S. Senate race at 73 percent, with Democratic former Gov. Phil Bredesen at 65 percent. Former U.S. Republican Rep. Stephen Fincher registered at 22 percent.
The landline-and-cell-phone poll surveyed 1,013 registered Tennessee voters from Nov. 16 to Dec. 5 with margin of error of plus or minus 3.7.