The GOP's 46-percent ceiling

When Linda McMahon is the GOP's best performing Senate candidate, they may not be doing as well as they hoped. I've noted in just about every one of my battleground matchup posts how Mitt Romney simply can't get out of the mid 40s in the polling composite in most of the key states:

He exceeds 46 percent in just five of these 12 [battleground] states, and hits 48 percent in just one. His likeability problem has imposed a ceiling to his potential support, a sign that the Democratic campaign to define him in those states was a resounding success.

Just checked TPM right now, and yup, there's Romney stuck at 45.1 percent.

So I just re-read my Senate snapshot from yesterday, and I was drawn to the GOP percentage totals:

(Again, these are TPM poll composites. The bolded numbers indicate incumbents.)

Like the presidential numbers in key battleground states, the Republican candidates appear mired in the low- to mid-40s. Of the 15 races on this list, Republicans exceed 46 percent in just two of them. Ironically, two of the most liberal on this list'Massachusetts and Connecticut.

On the other hand, Democrats exceed 46 percent in 10 of the 15 races.

Does this mean anything? Beats me. It could be coincidence, but it's certainly an odd one'Republicans are having a hard time busting out of the mid-40s'even in the handful of states on this list that don't double up as presidential battlegrounds.