LAS VEGAS - Repub-lican Brian Sandoval maintains a double-digit lead over Democrat Rory Reid in the Nevada governor's race after their first debate, according to a statewide poll released Saturday.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal and KLAS-TV poll shows Sandoval favored by 52 percent of those surveyed compared with 36 percent for Reid.
Sandoval's 16 percentage-point lead compares with his 22 percent lead in a similar poll two weeks ago.
The latest poll is the first since the candidates' first debate on Aug. 29.
Non-partisans favored Sandoval 58 percent to 27 percent. In Clark County around Las Vegas, Sandoval of Reno had 48 percent to 40 percent for Reid of Clark.
"That's the bad news for (Reid), the Clark number," said David Damore, a political science professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. "These are the people who know Rory Reid the best. To still be losing in the Democratic stronghold is troubling."
The poll shows 70 percent of Democrats statewide back Reid with 16 percent favoring Sandoval. Two weeks ago, a similar poll showed 58 percent of Democrats behind Reid and 21 percent picking Sandoval.
The telephone survey of 625 registered voters was conducted Tuesday through Thursday by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research. It has a margin of error of plus or minus
4 percentage points.