Markey Leads Brown In Hypothetical Senate Matchup

A new poll (PDF — crosstabs) finds that Democratic Sen. Ed Markey would lead Republican Scott Brown by 5 points in a hypothetical matchup.

The MassINC poll of 500 Massachusetts residents found that if the November 2014 U.S. Senate election were held now, Markey would lead Brown 43 to 38 percent.

It's a sharp reversal from a WBUR poll conducted last December that had Brown leading Markey by 18 points — 48 to 30 percent.

Pollster Steve Koczela says Markey's recent Senate victory helped raise his visibility.

"The election was very low turnout and people were paying attention to a lot of other things, but he has now grown into a brand of his own as Brown's brand is fading a little bit," Koczela said.

Brown has not said whether he is interested in running for Senate next year.