MA Poll: Kerry leads Bush 54%-32% and voters closely divided on gay marriage ban

http://www.mccormack.umb.edu/umasspoll/data/pdf/2004_Mar29_Apr5.pdf ^

[No Dems 2004]

Here are some excerpts from this University of Mass. poll:

1. In general, do you feel things in Massachusetts are going in the right direction, or have they gotten off on the

(Right Direction 38.7 Wrong Track 52.5 DK/Refused 8.9)

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2. If the November election for President were today, and the candidates were

(Dem Kerry 54.2 Rep George W Bush 31.5 Ind Nader 2.2 Undecided/DK 10.6)

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3. How strongly do you support the recently passed amendment to the state constitution that defines marriage as a union of a man and a woman and creates civil unions that include the benefits of marriage for gays and lesbians? Would you this amendment?

(Strongly Support 25.3 Somewhat Support 21.2 Somewhat Oppose 14.0 Strongly Oppose 33.3 Don't Know 5.6)

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4. How strongly do you support Governor Romney’s decision to ask the Supreme Court to stay it’s ruling allowing gay marriage until the issue reaches voters in 2006? Do you Governor Romney’s decision to ask the Supreme Court for this stay?

(Strongly Support 38.9 Somewhat Support 13.4 Somewhat Oppose 7.6 Strongly Oppose 34.1 Don't Know 5.6)

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5. This issue is very complicated, if you had to pick just one of the following positions, which would it be

(No Amendment Allow Gay Marriage, 40.2 Support amendment that bans gay marriage and creates civil unions. 28.1 Support amendment that bans gay marriage 16.6 and bans civil unions The issue doesn't matter to me 10.8 Don't Know 3.5)

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What is your opinion of Governor Mitt Romney. Is it…

(Very Favorable 23.3 Somewhat Favorable 38.2 Not Very Favorable 19.4 Not Favorable At All 16.4 Undecided/DK 2.6)

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6. How would you rate the job that Mitt Romney is doing as governor? Would you say

(Excellent 12.5 Good 44.9 Not So Good 27.9 Poor 12.1 Don't Know 2.4 Refused .2)

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(poll was from March 29 to April 5)

[No Dems 2004]

An interesting glance into the minds of Massachusetts voters on the general election and gay marriage.

No surprises in Kerry's lead in his home state over the Prez (although I was a little surprised to see W. hasn't lost any support there since 2000 when he got 33% against Gore). I thought Kerry would be farther ahead here.

And, on gay marriage, the state seems heavily divided on the gay marriage ban state amendment passed by the legislature earlier this year. Even still, the poll indicates that those who oppose gay marriage (though not civil unions) outnumber those who favor it - though not by much. It's nice to see that Governor Romney is doing okay, too.

Oh well, all considered, I guess things COULD be worse in MA.

[snooker]

Good reasons why to not elect anyone from Massachusetts to important position of responsibility.

[KJacob]

Isn't the gov. a pubbie? How in the world did that happen?

[rhombus]

As a Mass resident I am amazed by my fellow citizens who are now admitting what a lunkhead Kerry is. Of course they still plan to vote for him because liberalism is a religion here and so many are either unionized or on the public dole (i.e., public-employee unionized).

[republicanwizard]

Actually, if Bush can win half the undecideds, then he will win 38% of the vote in Massachusetts. That would be an achievement, given how liberal the state has gotten.

[TheBigB]

Actually, MA hasn't had a Democratic Governor for many years, if you can believe it. I think the last one was Dukakis.

[muawiyah]

Everybody in Massachusetts (except for a select 32%) are hateful little pieces of snot aren't they.

Can we ship them back where they came from?

[ZULU]

If "Mitt" Romney is anything like like his father, he may CALL himself a Republican, but otherwise he's a typical RINO.

We're almost better off when states like Mass., N.J., N.Y., MD. and California have Democratic Governors. He keeps the Republican Electoral Pool uncontaminated.

[F.J. Mitchell]

It figures that with all the life or death issues facing America and the world, that Homosexual weddings would be the most burning issue in the minds of voters who keep electing Teddy (breast stroke)Kennedy to the Senate.

[betty boop]

An interesting glance into the minds of Massachusetts voters on the general election and gay marriage.

I'd be interested in seeing the demographics of this poll. If the survey extended only to the denizens of UMass -- an extraordinarily "progressive" and "politically correct" institution -- then the left-liberal-skewed result would be entirely understandable, and exactly what one would expect. A more broadly based poll might show different results.

I think in Massachusetts we have the same "great divide" between elite and mainstream opinion that can be found almost everywhere else these days.... Don't believe any poll except the one conducted at the ballot box. FWIW.

[Zack Nguyen]

Massachusetts is a seething cauldron of Marxist revolutionary sentiment. The attitudes of the state are dangerous.

[paguch]

It is no suprise Kerry is ahead but it is shamefull that the Catholic Church has fallen so far in Mass that such an anti-Catholic candidate could fare so well. I would like to hear from any remaining true Catholics in Mass as to what went wrong in their state that the Church has declined.

[HostileTerritory]

There is no chance at all that "U. Mass. poll" means they only surveyed students at the university. This is a believable statewide result.

[johnny7]

...so many are either unionized or on the public dole

and... earn a living working in jobs that benefit from a large, overbearing state government. Massachusetts 'all-enlightened' Democrat machine is a 'hardcharger' in the forefront of private sector genocide... and its citizens are just as guilty as its courts and legislators in this socialist endeavor.

[The South Texan]

You could run Stalin, Pol Pot, Hitler, Hussien, Castro, or whatever thug for President as a Rat in Massachuetts and they would get over 50% over a Republican.

Same can be said about San Francisco, Seattle, New York City and Austin, Texas.

[HostileTerritory]

I'm not a Catholic, but I don't think anyone would disagree that the massive sex abuse scandal and cover-up stretching for thirty-plus years played some part in the decline of the Church's influence. Cardinal Law was a big player in politics. When he left, O'Malley couldn't hope to fill his shoes.

Also, it can be tough to make the case when the Pope was so vocally opposed to the war in Iraq.

[HostileTerritory]

HEY. We voted for Reagan in '84 over Mondale.

[republicanwizard]

Yeah, and Reagan was also Irish. Go back before 1980, and Massachusetts didn't vote for a Republican candidate since Eisenhower. Before Eisenhower, Coolidge, and he had been a Governor.

It is easily one of the most Democratic of states.

[No Dems 2004]

"As a Mass resident I am amazed by my fellow citizens who are now admitting what a lunkhead Kerry is."

Actually, I think a lot of Dems are having second thoughts about Kerry. It may be one of the keys for GW Bush hanging on to the White House - Democratic second thoughts. I mean, why else do you think Ralph Nader is running?

[republicanwizard]

Don't laugh. It's sad that someone is so obsessive that he has all that memorized...