Coakley Leads Brown in Race for Kennedy's Senate Seat

Democrat Martha Coakley, Massachusetts' Attorney General, is leading Republican state Sen. Scott Brown in the race to fill the seat of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy by 50 percent to 31 percent with 1 percent preferring someone else and 7 percent undecided, according to a Rasmussen Reports poll conducted Jan. 4. The margin of error is 4.5 points.

While that leads seems small in such a Democratic stronghold, Rasmussen notes that "one reason the race appears to be a bit closer than might typically be expected" is the low turnout generally attracted by special elections. Voters will go to the polls on Jan. 19.

Coakley is seen favorably by 60 percent of voters and unfavorably by 35 percent, while Brown is regarded favorably by 58 percent and unfavorably by 25 percent. But Coakley is better known with only 4 percent of voters not knowing enough about her to express and opinion while that number is 17 percent for Brown.