Massachusetts House Race a Dead Heat

In Massachusetts’s Tenth Congressional District, the first poll for the race to replace retiring Democrat Bill Delahunt has finally been conducted. Republican Jeff Perry is in a dead heat with Democrat Bill Keating, the Cape Cod Times reports:

The poll of 400 likely voters in the 10th Congressional District gives Keating a slight edge over Perry, 46 percent to 43 percent with only 4 percent undecided and 5 percent leaning toward one of the three independent candidates in the race. The results have a 4.9 percent margin of error.

When the same 400 likely voters were initially asked who they preferred, Perry came out on top 41 percent to 40 percent, with 13 percent of the voters undecided. Independents garnered only 4 percent collectively.

When those undecided voters were pushed to make a decision, they tipped the results in favor of Keating.

Perry, a former police officer, has been dogged with allegations of negligence in reporting misconduct by his partner on the force. Although Perry has never been charged with wrongdoing, the charge may be sticking due to Keating ads like this.

But the fact that this race is as close at it is could be an indication that the GOP is becoming a viable party again in Massachusetts. Over the weekend, Sean Bielat reported higher fundraising figures in the last quarter than any other congressional candidate in the state, Republican or Democrat. 

(Hat tip Fred Bauer.)