Two new polls give Warren a lead in Mass. Senate race

Two new polls show Elizabeth Warren establishing a lead over Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) in one of the tightest Senate races in the nation, suggesting that as voters continue to tune into the race, she could have the advantage in deep-blue Massachusetts.

One poll, conducted by the Western New England University Polling Institute, with two local Massachusetts papers, gives Warren a 6-point lead over Brown with likely voters, 50 percent to 44 percent support.

Among registered voters, her lead jumps to 12 percentage points, a stark difference from the last poll, conducted in late May, which gave Brown a 2-percentage-point lead over Warren.

The survey was conducted from Sept. 6-13, so Warren could be said to be riding positive momentum coming out of a well-received speech at the Democratic National Convention. But another poll, out from Democratic firm Public Policy Polling (PPP), conducted from Sept. 13-16, indicates her lead could be lasting.

That poll gives Warren a 2-percentage-point lead over Brown, a reversal of the last PPP poll, which gave Brown a 5-percentage-point lead. Since that last poll, taken in mid-August, Warren has gained 7 percentage points in support from likely voters — much of which has to do with Warren solidifying support among Democrats.

The Western New England University Polling Institute survey was conducted among 444 likely voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.6 percent. The Public Policy Polling survey was conducted among 876 likely voters and has a margin of error of 3.3 percent.

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