The Hill News

A new, independent poll showed veteran Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) in control on Monday in his bid to win a 29th term in the House.

Dingell, the longest serving House member in history, leads his Republican opponent by 19 points, according to a Detroit News/WDIV poll released Monday.

49.3 percent of registered voters in Michigan's 15th congressional district said they'd choose to send the 84-year-old Dingell back to Washington, while 30.3 percent said they'd vote for Republican candidate Rob Steele.

While the number of voters who said they would re-elect Dingell is just below the 50 percent threshold normally considered healthy for incumbents, he still maintains a commanding lead in the race. 13 percent of ! voters said they were undecided.

Dingell has still hustled to make sure he has the resources necessary to stave off any last minute surges in November, seeking to protect against being swept up in any wave election in favor of the GOP.

The Michigan Democrat's fundraising pleas led last week to some Republican bravado, and a memo from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) that outlined why Dingell would easily keep the district. The DCCC's memo pointed to the major party-ID advantages in the southeast Michigan district.

Still, if Republicans were to somehow pull off a victory in the race, it would be considered a major bellwether that cou! ld indicate a coming landslide for House Republicans this elec! tion.

The poll, conducted by Glengariff Group Inc. from Sept. 15-16, has a 4.9 percent margin of error.