Baker More Popular With Mass. Democrats Than Republicans, New Poll Suggests

BOSTON (CBS) – A new poll confirms Gov. Charlie Baker is well-liked by Massachusetts voters in his re-election year, but some may be surprised to hear which political party appears to be his biggest fan.

The WBUR survey shows the GOP governor is viewed favorably by 67 percent of Massachusetts registered voters. The poll says 65 percent of Democrats have a favorable view of Baker, compared to 64 percent of Republicans. He has a 69 percent favorability rating among unenrolled voters.

Additionally, only 10 percent of Democrats have an unfavorable view of Baker. Among Republicans, his unfavorable numbers are double that at 20 percent.

The poll shows Baker is on track to cruise to re-election with leads of more than 40 points each against the two Democratic candidates in hypothetical matchups. But WBZ-TV political analyst Jon Keller said any slip in popularity for Baker among Republicans could be a problem down the road.

"These are undeniably sweet results for the Baker camp, but they also hold a warning. In most statewide elections, a Republican needs near-total support from his or her own party to have a chance of competing. Baker's margins are huge right now, in part because voters wouldn't recognize the Democratic challengers if they tripped over them," Keller said. "But once a Democratic nominee emerges after Labor Day he will at least have a chance at defining himself positively and enhancing his name recognition. You can count on Democrats to turn out to support Elizabeth Warren, weigh in on the ballot questions, and register their contempt for President Trump. And that suggests a scenario where GOP desertion of Baker could prove problematic."

The poll also has good news for Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren. It says she is viewed favorably by 53 percent of voters, with 33 percent viewing her unfavorably. She leads each of her potential Republican challenges by at least 35 points, the poll found.

The poll of 501 registered voters has a 4.4 percentage point margin of error.