A Colorado U.S. Senate poll released by the Bob Schaffer campaign Thursday shows the Republican nominee and Democrat Mark Udall in a dead heat.

The poll, conducted by Hill Research Consultants - Schaffer's regular pollster - among 553 likely Colorado voters Aug. 23 and 24, shows Udall leading Schaffer 41 percent to 38 percent. That's within the survey's +/- 4.2 percent margin of error.

Most polls of the Senate race up until now have given Udall a slightly larger margin, though Schaffer has closed the gap in the past month.

Schaffer manager Dick Wadhams said the poll results are another indication that "it'll be a close race to the finish."

Wadhams also said the numbers were "solid and reliable because (David Hill) has probably done more campaigns in Colorado in the last 18 years than anybody in America.

"He's a very reputable pollster who'll not tell a client what the client wants to hear; he tells the client what is real and what truly exists," Wadhams said.

A spokesperson for Udall was not immediately available for comment.

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