Emerson College Poll: Tierney in Dead Heat in MA Democrat Primary; Moulton on Verge of Upset

BOSTON, Sept. 5, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Incumbent John Tierney (D) has slipped in the polls and has only a 3 point lead (47% to 44%) over his Democrat primary rival Seth Moulton going into the final weekend before the primary on September 9 for the 6^th Congressional seat in Massachusetts. The Emerson College Polling Society poll was conducted September 2-4, and interviewed 343 likely Democrat primary voters with a margin of error of 5.3%.

Tierney held a 53 point lead back in April (64% to 11%) and a 42 point lead in June (59% to 17%). Among the likely Democrat primary voters, Tierney has a 54% favorable rating and a 43% unfavorable rating, compared to Moulton who holds a 57% to 25% rating. When asked if Tierney deserved to be re-elected, 49% of likely Democrat primary voters said yes, and 44% replied no. However, when asked who they thought would win, 52% said Tierney while 24% picked Moulton.

The survey also looked at potential general election match-ups against the Republican nominee Richard Tisei. The full sample of 500 people found Tisei beating Tierney 51% to 43%, but in a match-up against Moulton, Tisei was down 44% to 36%.

The other two Democratic primary candidates trail far behind, with Marisa DeFranco garnering just 4% of the primary vote and John Devine at 1%; 6% of Democrats and Independents are still undecided.

In comparison to the Democratic candidates, Tisei's numbers have barely budged. His name recognition was 45% favorable to 32% unfavorable in June, and 48% to 32% in the most recent survey.

TOP ISSUES

When asked to identify the top issues in the election, voters echoed what they reported as in June, citing jobs (27%), healthcare (18%) and defense (15%). Asked their opinion of the automatic increase in the state's gasoline tax, 66% opposed the tax hike, as compared to 20% who support it. Opposition to the tax hike has increased in those polled since June when 62% opposed the tax hike and 23% supported it.

Caller ID

The polling sample consisted of 500 likely voters with a margin of error of +/-4.33% and a 95% confidence level a subset of 343 likely democrat voters were included with a margin of error of +/-5.25% and a 95% confidence level, using an interactive voice response (IVR) system. The poll ran from September 2–4, 2014. The full methodology and results can be found at www.theecps.com.

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SOURCE Emerson College