In Tight Poll, Cahill Edges Baker For Second

The latest poll in the race for governor shows a tight contest, with Democrat Gov. Deval Patrick holding a slim lead over independent Timothy Cahill and Republican Charles Baker.

The telephone survey (PDF) by the Western New England College Polling Institute found 34 percent of voters backing Patrick, 29 percent supporting Cahill and 27 percent backing Baker.

The poll spoke to 481 registered voters and took place before the Republican convention Saturday, where Baker won the Republican nomination.

Cahill, who became an independent last year after a career as a Democrat, appears to be siphoning votes from both Patrick and Baker. Seventeen percent of Democrats said they would vote for Cahill, as did 32 percent of voters identifying themselves as Republicans.

The survey's findings suggest that voters critical of Patrick are split between Baker and Cahill, 45 to 40 percent, respectively. Of the 60 percent of those polled who say the state is on the wrong track, 39 percent support Baker and 38 percent support Cahill.

The percent of residents who approve of Patrick's performance — 34 percent — was down from 41 percent in March.

Still, it appears that many likely voters have no opinion of the challengers to the governor: 45 percent of those surveyed have no opinion of Cahill, and 62 percent have no opinion of Baker.

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