Brown, Warren Tied In New Senate Race Poll
BOSTON (CBS) – A new poll in the Massachusetts Senate race released Tuesday afternoon shows a dead heat between Sen. Scott Brown and challenger Elizabeth Warren.
The Public Policy Polling survey has Brown and Warren tied at 46-percent each among 902 Massachusetts voters who were polled in an automated telephone survey earlier this month. Eight-percent were still undecided.
In the last PPP poll back in March, Warren led Brown by five points, 46-41.
In a press release Tuesday, researchers said the new numbers show Brown has "experienced a bit of a resurgence in the last few months."
Brown is conveying the sort of centrist, independent image he'll need in order to win this fall. Only 34% of voters think he's too conservative to 48% who say he's ideologically 'about right.' And 49% say he's been an 'independent voice for Massachusetts' to 39% who say he's been more a 'partisan voice for the national Republican Party.'
Warren's popular too with 47% of voters rating her favorably to 38% with a negative opinion. Political races where voters like both candidates have been few and far between in recent election cycles. Warren was at 46/33 in March so her negatives have climbed a little bit since then, but it could be a lot worse given the press coverage she's received since that time.
The poll also showed Brown leads among independents 57-to-33 percent. That's up from 48-to-36 in March.
He's also getting more crossover support, with 18-percent of Democrats voting for him compared to nine-percent of Republicans supporting Warren.
"This race is ultimately going to be decided by Obama independents. The undecideds for Senate are planning to vote for Obama over Mitt Romney by a 60/13 margin," the pollsters said in their statement.
"There are already a lot of Obama/Brown voters and it's quite possible there will be more of them."
