GOP Poll Shows Markey Up By 12 In Massachusetts Special Election

U.S. Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA) (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
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A survey released Wednesday by a Republican-aligned pollster found Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) earning the support of nearly half of voters and claiming a decisive 12-point edge in the Massachusetts special U.S. Senate election. 

The automated survey from Harper Polling showed Markey with the support of 49 percent of Massachusetts voters, while Republican businessman Gabriel Gomez trailed with 37 percent support. Harper launched in December with the intention to rival Democratic-leaning outlets such as Public Policy Polling that have long owned the automated poll market.

Brock McCleary, a pollster for Harper, succinctly summed up the tall order that Gomez faces in one of the most Democratic-friendly states in the country.

“Simply put, Gomez trails because there are more Democrats than Republicans in the state,” McCleary wrote in the polling memo.

Those findings are a huge blow to Gomez and the GOP. Prior to Wednesday, the only two polls since the beginning of May that have shown a toss-up in the race have been conducted by Republican pollsters. Markey even cited one of those GOP polls in a fundraising email sent Wednesday, insisting that the race is tight.

The PollTracker Average suggests otherwise, currently showing the Democratic congressman leading by more than 8 points ahead of the June 25 special election.

 

Update: Brad Dayspring, a spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, dismissed Harper’s findings and said the poll “might as well have been written in crayon.”

 

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