While Texas voters won't choose a U.S. Senator until November, pollsters are already testing voters' political pulse.

A poll by Rasmussen Reports released Monday shows the race between incumbent GOP Senator John Cornyn and his challenger, Democrat Rick Noriega, is a lot closer than expected.

The automated phone poll of 500 Texas voters showed Cornyn at 47 percent and Noriega at 43 percent. The margin of error was plus or minus 4 percentage points, making the race a statistical dead heat, at least according to the poll.

"We're at a point in time where Texans are ready for some accountability, and I think that's what this poll indicates," said Noriega.

But Cornyn's campaign says the Rasmussen numbers are inconsistent with other polling it has seen, and several months remain before Election Day.

Political observers in Austin are also skeptical.

"This just has the feel of a poll that was a fluke," said Harvey Kronberg, editor of political website, The Quorum Report. "It's just not real to believe that four out of five Texans know who Rick Noriega is right now or have some recognition of the name."

Details in the polling numbers show at least four out of five respondents said they were familiar with both Noriega and Cornyn.

While not scientific, KVUE took photos of both men on the streets of Austin to see whether folks recognized them. Not a single respondent could identify either candidate.

"It means we have a lot of work to do in terms of just spreading the message of what John Cornyn has done, tried to do in the last five plus years," said Kevin McLaughlin, Cornyn's campaign communications director.

Noriega has a lot of work to do, too. He trails Cornyn in fundraising by the millions, and to beat an incumbent, he'll need more than just one set of close numbers.