Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson leads Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek 44% to 42.1% in the latest Trafalgar Group poll of Iowa voters, conducted Sept. 16-18 among likely voters.

Independent candidate Thomas Laehn received 3.4% support, while 10.4% of respondents were undecided. The survey included 1,089 likely voters and has a margin of error of approximately 2.9 percentage points.

Hinson is the Republican nominee for the open Senate seat, while Turek is the Democratic nominee. The race is for the seat currently held by Republican Sen. Joni Ernst, who is not seeking reelection.

Hinson, who represents Iowa's 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House, is seeking to keep the seat in Republican hands. Turek serves in the Iowa House and is running to give Democrats an opportunity to regain the Senate seat.

The contest is also drawing national attention as Republicans defend their Senate majority heading into the midterm elections. Iowa remains a state where Republicans have made significant gains in recent federal elections, but the competitive polling has put the Senate race on the national radar.

The latest poll comes after several other surveys have shown a closely contested race. A Sept. 15 co/efficient poll had Hinson ahead of Turek 46% to 42%, while a YouGov survey conducted Sept. 8-11 showed Turek at 44% and Hinson at 43%.

With the candidates separated by less than two points in the latest Trafalgar survey, the race remains closely contested heading toward the Nov. 3 general election. Iowa voters will choose the state's next U.S. senator as Republicans seek to retain the seat and Democrats look to make gains in the Senate.