Daily Kos Elections Polling Wrap: Lights out for Lugar in Indiana?

It's something of a rarity, but the banner headline on the polling front to close the week is not of the Obama-Romney variety. Nope, it is downballot, where a man who has served in the United States Senate for nearly my entire lifetime appears to be on the cusp of forced retirement.

After largely trying to gauge the race on internal or sponsored polling on either side, we get our first independent poll in the race in roughly a month. And it is very bad news for the incumbent.

Before we talk about that, let's take a look at the numbers on a rather thin Friday of data:

PRESIDENTIAL GENERAL ELECTION TRIAL HEATS:

NATIONAL (Gallup Tracking): Obama tied with Romney (45-45)

NATIONAL (Rasmussen Tracking): Obama d. Romney (47-45)

MONTANA (Rasmussen): Romney d. Obama (51-44)

DOWNBALLOT POLLING:

IN-SEN--R (Howey Politics Indiana/DePauw University): Richard Mourdock 48, Sen. Dick Lugar 38

A thought or two, as always, await you just past the jump...