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Poll: Koh Leads In Crowded 3rd District Democratic Race, With Nearly 3 In 10 Still Undecided
Dan Koh, a former chief of staff to Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, leads his fellow Democrats in the 3rd Congressional District, a new poll shows, though a sizable percentage of likely primary voters remain undecided in the crowded race.
Koh checks in at 19 percent, according to the survey from UMass Lowell and the Boston Globe, ahead of Rufus Gifford, a former U.S. ambassador to Denmark, and state Sen. Barbara L'Italien, who each collect 13 percent of the vote.
The remaining seven Democrats are all at 8 percent or lower.
With less than two weeks until the Sept. 4 primary, still 27 percent of poll respondents said they didn't know whom they'd vote for, and 2 percent refused to answer. Back in April, the last time UMass Lowell and the Globe surveyed voters in this northern Massachusetts district, nearly 60 percent said they were undecided.
The telephone survey of 553 likely Democratic primary voters was conducted Aug. 14 through Tuesday. It has a margin of error of 5.2 percentage points.
The poll's leader, Koh, is so far the best-known candidate in the district, per the survey.
"[Koh] has, according to the data available to us, covered the most ground with his campaign operation," UMass Lowell pollsters write in their summary. "This is a feat that we should perhaps not find all that surprising given his sizable campaign war chest advantage vis-à-vis the other candidates."
The 10 Democrats are vying to replace the retiring U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas. The winner of the primary will face Republican Rick Green in November. Independent candidate Mike Mullen has also qualified for the ballot.
Some of the poll's other notable findings:
- Seventy-three percent of respondents said it's "very important" for the Democratic candidate to stand up to President Trump.
- Trump is viewed favorably by 10 percent of respondents, and viewed unfavorably by 80 percent.
- These likely Democratic primary voters have a much different opinion of Trump's fellow Republican, Gov. Charlie Baker. He's viewed favorably by 72 percent of respondents.
If you're looking for more on these Democratic candidates in the 3rd district, we asked them a series of four questions; their answers are all here.
This article was originally published on August 23, 2018.
