Thursday, the website Real Clear Politics (RCP) changed the 3rd District congressional race from leaning toward Democratic U.S. Rep. Leonard Boswell to a “toss up” between him and Republican challenger Brad Zaun. This news comes just days after a poll commissioned by the Boswell campaign showed the congressman up 9 percentage points among likely voters.

RCP’s page on the 3rd District race includes two polls from late August to early September with staggeringly different results — one has Boswell pulling away, the other has Zaun firmly in the lead. In its analysis the website reads, “This may finally be the year that history catches up with Boswell.”

Tweeting about the shift on the RCP site, Zaun used the news to boost momentum and volunteering, pleading to voters, ”We still need your help.”

Wednesday’s poll results, however, showed Boswell up 47 percent to 38 percent, with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percent. Sparing back and forth, the two campaigns took shots at each other in a Des Moines Register piece that covered the poll results.

“This is just one more poll that shows Brad Zaun’s favorability is plummeting as Iowa voters learn more about his character and his lack of solutions for the state,” Boswell Campaign Manager Grant Woodard said.

As this was the second favorable poll released by the Boswell campaign this week, the Zaun campaign dismissed the results.

“A poll a day won’t make the pain go away for 114,000 Iowans that are out of work due to Leonard’s bad votes and out of date policies,” Zaun Spokesman Robert Haus said.

(Photo: boswell.house.gov)