[img_assist|nid=1571|title=U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell|desc=Getty Images Photo |link=none|align=center|width=420|height=292]The campaign of U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell pushed out its third internal poll of the campaign this afternoon, this one showing its candidate up 17 points over Democratic opponent Bruce Lunsford.

The survey of 900 “likely voters” conducted by long-time McConnell pollster Jan van Lohuizen of Voter/Consumer Research shows the incumbent up 52 to 35 percent over Lunsford.

The release of the poll comes on the heels of recent public approval polling on McConnell (R-Louisville) conducted by SurveyUSA that found him dipping to a 44 percent approval rating – down 13 percent from a May measurement and tying a low in that firm’s polls on the four-term senator.

The McConnell-commissioned poll finds a brighter scenario for the incumbent, with a memo released by the campaign indicating 52 percent have a “favorable impression” of McConnell and 33 percent have an “unfavorable impression” – numbers nearly mirroring the election polling.

The memo contextualizes the approval figures as they come after “six weeks of attacks by Lunsford,” though both campaigns have been engaging in back-and-forth skirmishing on television airwaves in recent weeks.

At any rate, the memo from van Lohuizen shows “favorable” ratings of 30 percent for Lunsford, with 36 percent “unfavorable,” speculating that the advertising campaign impacted Lunsford more than McConnell.

The internal poll was conducted from Sept. 7 to Sept. 9, in the wake of the Republican National Convention, and carries a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percent.

Lunsford's campaign took the results of the internal poll with a grain of salt, claiming future public polls will swing in their favor.

"We do appreciate them setting the stage for the the momentum Bruce will exhibit when the next public poll comes out," said Cary Stemle, Lunsford's spokesperson.

McConnell’s earlier internal poll results after similarly negative news from public polls. The first internal – from late May - gave McConnell an eleven point lead while his campaign derided a poll from Rasmussen Reports that showed him down five to Lunsford.

A second gave McConnell the same 11 point lead after a SurveyUSA poll showed the incumbent Sen. up four over Lunsford in mid-June.

The latest public polling from early August gave McConnell a 12 point lead, and was not answered with internal polls from either side.

Van Lohuizen also is working with the campaigns of former U.S. Rep. Anne Northup (R-Louisville) in Kentucky’s 3rd Congressional District and state Sen. Brett Guthrie (R-Bowling Green) bid for the open 2nd Congressional District.