Ed Markey Opens 35-Point Massachusetts Primary Lead as Undecided Voters Break His Way
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Sep 1
Ed Markey Opens 35-Point Massachusetts Primary Lead as Undecided Voters Break His Way
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Sep 1
Summary
A late-August University of New Hampshire poll put Ed Markey ahead of Seth Moulton by 35 points, his biggest margin of the cycle days before Tuesday’s Democratic Senate primary.
UNH’s trend line showed Markey’s lead widening from 6 points in June as undecided voters fell from 23% to 7%, suggesting late deciders moved heavily toward the incumbent.
Other August surveys reinforced the shift, with Emerson showing Markey up 31 points, YouGov 28 points and Suffolk 15 points despite the Boston Globe editorial board backing Moulton.
Favorability may be driving the consolidation: UNH found 63% viewed Markey favorably versus 26% for Moulton, even after Moulton campaigned on generational change against the 80-year-old senator.
The polling surge still may not guarantee a blowout, with recent primaries in Wisconsin and Michigan underscoring how hard primary races can be to measure accurately.