Carly Fiorina and Barbara Boxer raised near-equal amounts of money in third-quarter fundraising, making this close race even more competitive. The candidates collected about $6 million each for their campaigns between July and September, though Boxer's overall fundraising money far exceeds Fiorina's.

Fiorina ended the quarter on Sept. 30 with $1.8 million in cash, while Boxer finished with $5.8 million. But Fiorina has the financial support of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, who will spend $4.8 million on her campaign before the Nov. 2 elections.

And as fundraising gets closer, so does the race. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released Friday put Fiorina a single point behind Boxer, down from her four-point lead earlier this month. Among likely voters, Boxer leads her challenger 46 percent to 45 percent.

Fiorina's sudden gain has left many analysts wondering whether she may have a real chance at defeating Boxer, who has held her position since 1992.

Voters are split: Should Boxer stay or go? And is this really the most important race of 2010?

Reach associate news editor Taylor Freitas here. Follow her on Twitter: @taylorfreitas.

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