By Paul Tuthill
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Springfield, MA – A new poll released today points to a tight race for the US Senate in Massachusetts between incumbent Republican Scott Brown and one of his potential Democratic opponents. The Western New England University Polling Institute's survey also finds Democrats are fired up about taking back the seat Brown captured in a special election after the death of Edward Kennedy. WAMC's Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill reports.
Brown leads consumer advocate and Harvard University professor Elizabeth Warren 47 percent to 42 percent in the poll of 475 registered voters which has a margin of error of 4 point 5 percent. Timothy Vercellotti, the director of the Western New England University Polling Institute says Warren, who became an official candidate less than a month ago, has made it a real race, without the benefit, so far of a real campaign.
National Democratic Party leaders, who urged Warren to get into the race, have made reclaiming the Massachusetts Senate seat in 2012 a key part of the strategy to retain control of the Senate. Her entry into the race has caught the attention of rank and file Democrats, with 56 percent saying they've heard a lot, or some about the race,compared to 39 percent of Republicans.
Vercellotti said the poll found Warren has the highest name recognition of the half dozen Democrats who are vieing for the Senate nomination.
The first debate between the Democratic Senate candidates, which took place earlier this week in Lowell, had no impact on how the candidates are viewed.
In the potential match up between Brown and Warren , each has a strong base, with 82 percent of Democrats saying they would back Warren, and 92 percent of Republicans behind Brown.
The Western New England University poll is the latest poll published on the Massachusetts Senate race to show Warren, who is running for the first time for any elected office, to be a strong and credible candidate for the US Senate. But, Dan Payne, a Democratic political analyst says it is not surprising.
Tony Cignolli, a Springfield based political consultant, says Warren had benefited from not just local, but national media coverage.
The Western New England University poll found Brown remains popular in Massachusetts, with a favorability rating of 52 percent , essentially unchanged since the last survey in March. But, his job approval numbers have slipped, with 30 percent now saying they disapprove of Brown's job performance, versus 24 percent last March.