Warren Tops Brown In New Poll

Massachusetts U.S. Senate hopeful Elizabeth Warren has opened up a slight lead over Republican Sen. Scott Brown in a new poll.

The UMass-Lowell-Boston Herald poll of 500 registered voters found 49 percent would vote for Warren, a Democrat. Forty-two percent would back Brown if they faced off in the general election.

The poll found Brown's job approval and favorability rating has slipped while Warren's numbers have climbed.

Warren debated her fellow candidates for the Democratic nomination on Tuesday in Easton at a lively candidate's forum.

While both receive nearly equal support from men, Warren leads Brown 51-38 percent among women. The telephone poll, conducted over the past, has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.

A similar poll from October found 41 percent of voters supported Brown while 38 percent backed Warren. That poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.