In a tight race between Republican U.S. Senate nominee J.D. Vance and far-left Democrat nominee Tim Ryan, Vance grew his lead exponentially, according to a new poll, reports the Washington Examiner:

Roughly 44% of voters say they’d back Vance in the election compared to just 40% for Ryan, according to a new poll from Emerson College and the Hill, giving a sign of hope to Republicans in a high-profile race that is likely to determine which party will control the Senate for the next two years. Another 13% said they were still undecided, and 3% said they’d vote for someone else.

The latest polling hints at growing momentum for the Republican candidate, expanding his lead from a month ago when he led Ryan by only 3 percentage points. The race is expected to lean Republican, according to analysts, but Democrats view the open seat being vacated by Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) as a possible pickup opportunity.

Although the race is likely to favor Republicans, Ryan has managed to keep the race tight in the reliably red state as Vance’s lead in the polls is just outside the margin of error.

The Emerson College-Hill poll surveyed 1,000 likely voters between Sept. 12-13 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Vance is a popular author of the book Hillbilly Elegy and Ryan is a failed 2020 presidential candidate.