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New Poll: Capuano Moves Into Second in Massachusetts Special

Rep. Mike Capuano (D) is now firmly in second place in the Democratic primary in the Massachusetts Senate special election, according to a Rasmussen Reports poll of likely Democratic primary voters conducted Nov. 23.

State Attorney General Martha Coakley still leads the Democratic field with 36 percent, with two weeks to go until the election. Capuano comes in second with 21 percent. Investor Stephen Pagliuca and Alan Khazei, co-founder of the community service program City Year, are tied for third with 14 percent. The margin of error is 4 points.

Capuano was in a virtual tie with Pagliuca for second in polls conducted last month but has seen his numbers bump up since then, a sign he is gaining some traction in his efforts to present himself as the most viable alternative to Coakley. The Rasmussen findings echo a Boston Globe/University of New Hampshire poll released earlier this week.

Pagliuca, who has spent millions of his own money on a massive advertising campaign, has leveled off in the polls after an initial surge when he first began airing ads.

Coakley and Capuano enjoy comparable favorability ratings, according to the new poll, with the attorney general at 61 percent and the Congressman at 62 percent. Thirty percent of Democratic voters have an unfavorable view of Coakley, while 26 percent view Capuano unfavorably.

The primary, which will essentially decide who will be the state’s next Senator, will be held Dec. 8.

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