BOSTON, April 29 (UPI) -- Democrat Edward Markey and Republican Gabriel Gomez led going into primaries ahead of the special U.S. Senate election in Massachusetts, a Suffolk Poll showed.
U.S. Rep. Edward Markey was swamping fellow Rep. Stephen Lynch in three Democratic bellwether communities the day before party primaries for the special election to pick a successor to John Kerry, now secretary of state, results of the poll released Monday indicated.
In Swampscott, Markey led Lynch 55 percent to 37 percent, the Suffolk Poll conducted by Suffolk University in Boston said. In Newburyport, Markey held a 59 percent-to-35 percent lead over Lynch and in Sandwich Markey led Lynch, 65 percent to 30 percent.
The Republican primary could be closer than the Democratic tally, the Suffolk Poll said, with businessman Gomez ahead of former U.S. Attorney Mike Sullivan with Dan Winslow polling third in the bellwethers of Boston and Shrewsbury, the Suffolk Poll said.
A bellwether is an area of a state that mirrors a statewide electoral outcome based on similar election types, previous elections and other data, Suffolk polling officials said.
The Suffolk Poll said the bellwethers, designed to predict outcomes not margins of victory, were fielded Thursday through Sunday and have a margin of 5.65 percentage points. The number of people in the field test was not included.
