A poll commissioned by the NRCC and Mike Fitzpatrick’s Republican campaign for congress shows the former congressman beating Democratic incumbent Patrick Murphy by 7 points, 48 percent to 41 percent, a worrying sign not just for the 8th District incumbent but Democrats statewide.

The poll, conducted by Public Opinion Strategies and released to reporters Thursday, surveyed 400 likely voters on Aug. 22 and 23. It has a margin of error of 4.9 percentage points.

Murphy defeated Fitzpatrick in the 2006 election, a year highly favorable to Democrats across the country. But after cruising to re-election in 2008, Murphy appears to be facing a dramatically different political climate this year, one that puts his re-election hopes in jeopardy.

The poll reports that 51 percent of likely voters have a favorable view of Murphy, compared to 31 percent who do not. Fitzpatrick, on the other hand, has a favorable rating among 51 percent compared to just 16 percent who view him unfavorably. Republicans are also favored in a generic ballot 50 percent to 34 percent, it said.

The survey is just one of a plethora released in recent weeks painting a bleak picture for Democrats in the Keystone State. The fact that Murphy, considered a rising star in the party who just nabbed a highly coveted seat on the Appropriations Committee, is in trouble in his suburban Philadelphia district will sound alarm bells across the state for incumbents in less Democratic friendly districts.