Deval Patrick Solidifes Lead in Massachusetts Governor Race

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, whose numbers looked shaky earlier in this campaign cycle, continues to gain ground in his three way race against Republican Charlie Baker and independent Tim Cahill, according to a Suffolk University/News7 poll conducted May 20-23.

Patrick leads with 42 percent compared to 29 percent for Baker, a former health insurance executive, and 14 percent for Cahill, the state Treasurer who defected from the Democrats. Green party candidate Jill Stein draws 8 percent and 7 percent are undecided. The margin of error is 4.4 points.

Suffolk notes that Baker leads Patrick among independents by 35 percent to 26 percent, far less than the 64 percent to 29 percent advantage among independents that Republican Scott Brown had over Democratic Martha Coakley when the pollster surveyed the contest for Senate that Brown won in an upset.

Suffolk's David Paleologos said that Patrick had benefited from a decline in support for Cahill's independent bid.

"Patrick is the better-known alternative, is trusted the most and is perceived to have run the best campaign thus far," Paleologos said. "More than 60 percent of voters still have no opinion of Charlie Baker or have never heard of him, so he hasn't given voters a reason to choose him."

As recently as March and April, polls had shown Patrick in the lead by only narrow margins.

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