The race for the new 25th Congressional District is growing tighter according to a new poll released Sunday.

Republican Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks is challenging 26-year incumbent Democrat Louise Slaughter in the newly-drawn district.

A Siena poll released Sunday shows Brooks has cut Slaughter's ten-point lead in half with a little more than three weeks to go until Election Day.

The survey says Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks is closing the gap on Congresswoman Louise Slaugher's ten point lead, noted in a Siena survey just three weeks ago.

The new poll of likely voters completed just last week shows 49 percent of them support Slaughter. That's down from 52 percent three weeks prior. Brooks' support among those surveyed is up two percentage points to 44 percent in the same time period.

Brooks said, "I don't think anyone would be surprised that a twenty-six year incumbent is leading in a race. I think the fact that we are as close as we are with only three weeks to go is better news for us than an incumbent at this point."

Poll findings indicate Slaughter lost some ground to Brooks with Democrats and Republicans. Brooks lost some support among likely independent voters sampled.

"I do have the independent's endorsement in this race and I think people have found I have worked very collaboratively," Brooks said.

The campaign has been heated for weeks. On October 2nd, The Fair Election Practices Committee ruled Slaughter violated her pledge by approving an inaccurate ad against Brooks.

Shortly after, Brooks released an ad highlighting Slaughter's violation.

This latest Siena poll was conducted from October 7th through the 11th by telephone calls to 800 likely voters.

"I have served in the Congress for 26 years without a hint of scandal," said Slaughter.

Slaughter has fired back at Brooks about campaign financing.

Eric Walker, communications director for the Slaughter campaign, released the following statement about Sunday's Siena survey:

"Despite millions being spent against us on negative ads by the same special interests who are trying to defeat President Obama, voters are still siding with Louise. That's because unlike Maggie Brooks and her deep-pocketed allies, Louise has fought to protect Social Security and Medicare, opposed unfair trade deals and brought jobs and new industries to Rochester."

At a press conference Thursday, the Democratic congresswoman claimed the Crossroads Super PAC headed by Karl Rove is spending $1.4 million in advertising to distort her voting record.

"We have got to get this extensive money out of these campaigns because people are here to buy your vote," said Slaughter.

"Three weeks is a lifetime in politics and my job from here until the end of the campaign is just to keep talking to people in the district," Brooks said.

Less than two weeks after being found in violation of the Fair Election pledge, the Slaughter campaign announced Sunday it has filed a complaint with the same committee against Brooks and Karl Rove.

Six percent of the poll participants say they don't know who they'll vote for on election day or are not voting in this race, a number that hasn't changed since the last poll on this race was taken.

And, the Siena Research Institute says its survey contains a margin of error of
plus or minus three and a half percent.