Poll: Warren, Brown tied in Massachusetts Senate race

Democrat Elizabeth Warren is tied with Republican Sen. Scott Brown in Massachusetts, a new poll showed.

Warren takes 46 percent to Brown's 43 — within the margin of error — in a poll released Tuesday by WBUR, Boston's NPR affiliate.

Brown maintains strong popularity despite being the only Republican in the state's congressional delegation. Half of voters view Brown favorably, compared to 39 percent for Warren. Both Warren and Brown are viewed unfavorably by 29 percent of voters.

Warren has also closed the gap on name recognition and is now known to 86 percent of Massachusetts voters, though Brown is still better known. Just 6 percent said they hadn't heard of Brown.

The race still holds a large degree of fluidity; six in 10 voters said they might change their minds based on watching the two candidates debate.

Warren still technically has a Democratic primary get through, but has established herself as the stand-out fundraiser of the 2012 Senate cycle, raising $5.7 million in the last three months of 2011. Brown's fundraising has also been impressive; he pulled in $3.2 million during that period.

The two have forged a deal to keep outside groups from spending on ads in their race, a landmark agreement that has further intensified the national interest in their battle.

The poll of 503 likely voters was conducted Feb. 6-9 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.

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