Mourdock: Job numbers more important than poll

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Republican Richard Mourdock is dismissing a poll that shows him falling behind in the race for Indiana's Senate seat.

Mourdock told The Associated Press that Hoosiers are more interested in job numbers released Friday than in new poll numbers showing Democrat Joe Donnelly with a double-digit lead.

The Howey/DePauw University Battleground poll taken Oct. 28-30 showed Mourdock trailing Donnelly by 11 points after the two had run even most of the campaign. The change followed Mourdock's Oct. 23 comment that pregnancy resulting from rape is "something God intended."

A Mourdock loss in Indiana would make it harder for Republicans to win control of the Senate. Mourdock has struggled to regain his footing in the final days of the race, while Democrats have poured more money into replaying his comments on-air.