The lead in the Massachusetts Senate race for Rep. Ed Markey (D., Mass.) has dwindled in recent weeks over Republican Gabriel Gomez, and the high-profile scandals plaguing the Obama administration have hurt his popularity in the state he carried in November, CBS-WBZ reports:
Markey has the backing of 48 percent of Massachusetts voters polled compared with 41 percent for Gomez as the state’s special U.S. Senate election heads into its final two weeks, a poll released Monday showed.
The Suffolk University poll, which also shows 10 percent of voters still undecided, comes as Gomez and Markey prepare to face off in Springfield on Tuesday for their second televised debate. It’s expected to include questions important to the western part of the state.
Markey’s lead has narrowed compared with an earlier poll, but he should be reassured by the latest findings, according to Suffolk University Political Research Center Director David Paleologos [...]
Paleologos said those problems — including the IRS scrutiny of conservative groups, the seizure of phone records from Associated Press journalists and lingering questions about the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya — have chipped away at Obama’s popularity in Massachusetts, though he is still seen favorably by 60 percent of voters here.
Obama is scheduled to campaign for Markey in Massachusetts Wednesday. As for Gomez, the latest Suffolk poll "shows massive momentum on Gabriel’s side," said campaign manager Jill Neunaber:
"It is obvious that the Markey campaign is in free-fall, and the D.C. political machine is doing everything they can to prop up Markey’s failing campaign," Neunaber said in a statement.
Markey’s campaign declined to comment on the poll.