Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Email to a Friend

There is still no reason for John Kerry to worry about winning re-election in Massachusetts’s U.S. Senate race in November. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the state finds Kerry leading challenger Jeff Beatty 63% to 31%.

The race has changed little since regular tracking began back in May. Last month, Kerry led his opponent 65% to 30%. The 2004 Democratic Presidential nominee is currently seeking his fifth term in the Senate. Beatty is a businessman and military veteran.

Kerry leads by over thirty points among unaffiliated voters. He also leads 60% to 32% among men and 67% to 29% among women (see crosstabs).

Rasmussen Markets data shows that Kerry is given a % chance of winning re-election in November. These figures are updated on a 24/7 basis by market participants.

The Democrat is viewed favorably by 65% of voters and unfavorably by 34%. Beatty continues to be less known to many voters. The challenger is viewed favorably by 34%, unfavorably by 35%, and 31% have no opinion.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls).

Over half of Massachusetts voters (59%) oppose a question on this year’s ballot to abolish the state personal income tax. A third (33%) favor the proposal. Most Republicans would ban the tax, while Democrats and unaffiliated voters are mostly opposed.

A very narrow majority of voters (51%) are for the decriminalization of marijuana, while 41% oppose the proposal. Fifty-three percent (53%) of Democrats and unaffiliated voters are in favor of this proposal, while just 39% of Republicans agree.

Another ballot question in Massachusetts addresses the issue of greyhound racing, a practice that has been widely criticized for animal cruelty. Half of voters (50%) say favor a proposal to ban greyhound racing involving monetary bets, while 37% are against such a proposal.

Governor Deval Patrick earns good or excellent reviews from 38% of voters, while 20% give his job performance a poor rating.

The latest numbers from Massachusetts’ presidential race will be released today at 5 p.m.

Demographic crosstabs for all state polling are available for Premium Members. Learn More.

See survey questions and toplines. Crosstabs available for Premium Members only.