U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole has a 7-point lead over state Sen. Kay Hagan.

That's according to a poll by Maryland-based Research 2000 for the Daily Kos, a liberal Web site. The poll of 600 likely voters was conducted from Dec. 16-18.

It showed Dole winning 46 percent to Hagan's 39 percent if the election were held today.

In a separate question, Dole beat Chapel Hill investment banker Jim Neal 47 to 37 percent.

Blogger Markos Moulitsas Zúniga writes that Dole's showing against two Democrats with low name recognition shows North Carolinians "aren't sold on a second term."

"No matter who emerges from the Democratic primary, this is going to be a real race," he writes. 

The margin of error was 4 percentage points. 

The N.C. Republican Party is denouncing Kos.

In a press release, the state party calls liberal blogger Markos Moulitsas Zúniga the "founder of an extremist website" known for his "angry, incendiary comments" and "hate-filled rants."

Moulitsas, creator of The Daily Kos, will be on a conference call with the N.C. Democratic Party.

The Web site has more than 125,000 registered members, and includes blogs by U.S. Rep. Brad Miller and Democratic Congressional candidate Marshall Adame from North Carolina.

State Republican Chairwoman Linda Daves said that state Democrats should rebuke Moulitsas.

"The angry, hate-mongering rhetoric of liberal blogger, Markos Moulitsas, should get him pushed to the fringes of the political debate," she said. "Instead, fellow liberals laud him as a 'kingmaker.'"

State Democrats said they were flabbergasted.

"Are these the same people who promoted Karl Rove coming to the Hendersonville Republicans earlier this year?" said Democratic Party spokeswoman Kerra Bolton. "You've got to be kidding me."