OT, but for those from MA, it is the second poll showing Patrick up by double digits and Cahill

[Mass]

collapsing. I guess people here did not like his flirting with the tea party people.

http://www.telegram.com/article/20100526/NEWS/5260368/1052

New poll shows Patrick in lead
Gov. bests Baker by 13 points


By Glen Johnson THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BOSTON — A new poll shows Democratic incumbent Deval L. Patrick opening up a double-digit lead over his Republican challenger in this year’s Massachusetts gubernatorial race, and independent candidate Timothy Cahill plummeting in the aftermath of a GOP advertising barrage.

A Suffolk University/WHDH-TV survey released Tuesday showed Patrick leading Republican Charles Baker 42 percent to 29 percent, a margin of 13 points. A similar survey in February had Patrick ahead 33 percent to 25 percent, an 8-point margin.

The poll also showed Cahill, the state’s treasurer, dropping after the Republican Governors Association targeted him with a $1 million negative advertising campaign. He had the support of 14 percent of those surveyed, compared with 23 percent in February.

The GOP has been concerned that Cahill, a former Democrat, could attract the same fiscally conservative voters Baker is targeting.

The fourth person in the race, Green-Rainbow Party candidate Jill Stein, had 8 percent of the vote, an improvement of 5 percentage points since February. Seven percent of respondents said they remained undecided.

Suffolk surveyed 500 registered voters from Thursday to Sunday. The poll had a sampling error margin of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.

[beachmom]

1. Wow, I'm surprised. I thought Patrick wasn't very popular in MA. nt

[rox63]

3. He's running well under 50%

So as a sitting governor, that's a problem. But Cahill may be just enough of a spoiler to put Patrick in for a second term.

[Mass]

4. He is not, but neither are the two other ones. Nobody is popular these days with the economic

situation. I don't think he is doing worse than most governors in the same situation.

This said, Baker and Cahill hurt each other, as Cahill is trying to outflank Baker to his right and to emulate Scott Brown, and probably capturing some part of the GOP and more conservative Democratic voters who find Baker too liberal in social issues.

[ObamaKerryDem]

2. Good to hear! I know it's still very early on into the season, but that is encouraging.

Would hate to see the GOP get that seat too. They'd be gloating too much (we all saw how it was after Brown got in..yuck!)! Plus I'm rooting for Patrick, even though I'm not in MA. But fwiw. :)