Two polls last week show double digit leads for U.S. Rep. Edward Markey over his Democratic opponent U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch in the race for U.S. Senate.
Results of a UMass Lowell/Boston Herald poll last week showed Markey (D-Malden) leads Lynch (D-South Boston) by 29.5 percentage points among potential Democratic primary voters.
The poll also shows Markey is leading over all three Republican candidates.
Fifty percent of those polled said they would vote for Markey, while 20.5 percent said Lynch, giving Markey a 29.5 percent lead. Twenty-three percent said they were unsure about how they plan to vote.
Markey and Lynch face off in the April 30 Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by John Kerry’s appointment to Secretary of State.
On the Republican side, Markey also led, according to the poll, coming in 19 points over former Navy SEAL Gabriel Gomez, 17.2 percent over former U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan and 23.2 percent over State Rep. Dan Winslow.
The poll also showed Lynch leading over all three Republican candidates: 18 percent over Gomez, 17 percent over Sullivan and 24.5 percentage points over Winslow.
A second poll last week, this one by the League of Conservation Voters, which is supporting Markey in the special election, also shows him with a double digit lead. The poll shows Markey at 42 percent, with Lynch at 28 percent.
AFL-CIO not endorsing in the primary
Both Lynch and Markey continue to bring in endorsements and seem to be splitting union support, however, neither candidate will get the backing of the state’s largest labor organization. The AFL-CIO has decided not to endorse in the Democratic primary.
The Boston Herald reported this week that Steven Tolman, Massachusetts AFL-CIO president, said the union will work to defeat whichever Republican candidate wins the GOP primary.
GOP candidates kick off campaigns, national TV weighs in
With just a month and a half until the primary, the candidates are wasting no time campaigning, building teams and putting their all in the sprint toward the April Primary.
Republican Candidate Michael Sullivan officially kicked off his campaign Saturday in Abington. This week we also learned Sullivan hired Richard Tisei’s former campaign manager to manage his campaign for U.S. Senate. His camp also includes former State Rep. Karyn Polito as his “campaign chairman,”
Dan Winslow (R-Norfolk) spent some time with Attleboro Patch when he came through town to meet and greet potential voters.
Winslow also got himself some national attention when MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow pointed out a discrepancy when he blasted his party last weekend for holding a straw poll at the Danversport Yacht Club. Maddow pointed out Winslow has been on the board of directors of a yacht and tennis club.
Lynch says no to advertising on WCVB-TV due to contract dispute
Congressman Lynch Friday told WCVB-TV station president and general manager Bill Fine he will not advertise on the station due to a contract dispute between the television station and its workers.
According to a statement released by the Lynch campaign, Members of IBEW Local 1228, which represents more than 60 camera operators, editors, and technicians at WCVB, have been working under an extended contract for nearly two years. The last contract between the union and WCVB ended in July 2011.
Endorsements keep pouring in
This week Lynch received support, with endorsements from Quincy Mayor Thomas P. Koch, Norfolk County Sheriff Michael Bellotti, State Senator John F. Keenan, Majority Leader Ron Mariano, State Rep. Bruce Ayers and State Rep. Tackey Chan.
Endorsements for Markey this week included the National Wildlife Federation Action Fund, the Environmental League of Massachusetts Action Fund and the Advocacy Group MoveOn.
Both party primary elections are scheduled for April 30. The special election is scheduled for June 25.
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