WASHINGTON — A new Democracy Corps poll out today gives Secretary of State Robin Carnahan a lead over both Rep. Roy Blunt, a declared GOP candidate for the Senate, and Sarah Steelman, who has explored a candidacy.

The poll of 800 likely Missouri voters April 28-30 found Carnahan leading Blunt 53-44 and ahead of Steelman 54-42 in an initial question of whom was favored. After voters were were read common attacks on each, Carnahan’s lead over Blunt narrowed to 7 points and over Steelman to 6 points.

The pollsters concluded that Carnahan begins “with a strong personal and professional standing that puts her in a position to defeat either potential opponent.

“At the same time,” they continued, “it appears as if Steelman may be the tougher foe with a stronger profile than Blunt and the potential to run a fresh outsider candidacy that Blunt can not offer.”

Democracy Corps’s principals are Stanley Greenberg, a long-time Democratic pollster, and James Carville, a Democratic political consultant and television personality known for his association with former President Bill Clinton. The pollsters said they survey had an error margin of plus or minus 3.5 percent.

While the partisan poll looked favorable for Democrats, it presented at least one warning sign: the finding Missourians are evenly divided on economic issues, with nearly half agreeing that the Obama administration was making the right decisions to move the economy forward and an equal number agreeing with GOP assertions that the White House is spending, borrowing and taxing too much.

Likewise, the poll found sentiments nearly evenly divided between those who favor Obama’s health-care proposal to expand health care coverage and those concerned over what opponents are calling a government-run program.

One surprise was the support for Obama’s clean-energy proposals, which Missourians favored by a 57-39 percent margin even though respondents were read criticisms that White House plans could translate to stiff new energy taxes. Young voters and voters in the St. Louis area were especially keen on Obama’s energy plans.

In a statement this afternoon, the Blunt campaign questioned the timing of the poll and noted that other surveys have showed Blunt running closer to Carnahan.

“The timing of this poll is suspect and we would not be surprised if the same liberal group that ran this poll was working with the liberal group that falsely attacked Roy Blunt because he opposed an energy tax on Missouri families,” the statement read.