A new poll finds Dem Rep. Ed Markey and GOP candidate Gabriel Gomez in a statistical dead heat for the special Senate election two weeks from Tuesday. The poll, from GOP-firm McLaughlin and Associates, finds long-term House member Markey leading new-comer Gomez 45-44% in the race to fill Sen. John Kerry’s Senate seat. The poll is further evidence the GOP has chance to score an upset in the special and gain a critical seat in the Senate.
The head-to-head match-up is driven by the candidates’ personal favorable ratings. Only 42% of voters have a favorable impression of Markey, matching the 42% who have an unfavorable impression. By contrast, 48% of voters, almost half, have a favorable impression of Gomez. Just 27% have an unfavorable impression of the GOP candidate, in spite of Democrats spending hundreds of thousands of dollars attacking Gomez.
The Democrats’ challenge in the special election is one of contrasting bios. Markey has been in Congress since the Nixon Administration and has amassed an unimpressive record for his tenure. Gomez, the son of legal immigrants to the US, is a former Navy Seal and successful businessman. His election would bring to the Senate the voice of a veteran of America’s current wars. Markey would simply add another career politician to deliberations on several critical issues.
The special election is June 25.
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