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5 things to watch for as Barack Obama, Mitt Romney debate for first time

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When President Barack Obama and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney meet for their first debate at 9 p.m. in Denver, Colo. both candidates have a lot on the table as tens of millions of viewers will likely tune in to hear more about their respective domestic policies.

In the contentious U.S. Senate race in Massachusetts, Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren is leading Republican Sen. Scott Brown by 4 percentage points, according to a survey released on Wednesday.

A Mass Insight Global Partnerships poll of 450 Bay State adults concluded that Warren is maintaining the edge on Brown, 48-44 percent, although her lead is within the 4.6 percent margin of error.

A WBUR/MassInc. poll released on Monday showed Warren ahead by two percentage points, 46-44, while a Boston Globe/University of New Hampshire poll released on Sunday concluded that Warren was leading by five points, 43-38 percent.

The Mass Insight poll conducted from Sept. 25-30, took place before the candidates squared off this week in their second of four scheduled televised debates.

The survey concludes that while Warren is leading overall, Brown remains in the good graces of more independent voters in Massachusetts, a category in which he towers over Warren by 12 points, 51-39 percent. The junior senator's overall favorability rating is also higher than Warren's, 55-51 percent.

Fifty-two percent of those surveyed said that Massachusetts needs to elect a Democrat to help prevent the Senate from falling under control of the national Republican Party. At the same time, 40 percent said that "having a moderate Republican senator is good for Massachusetts and the country."

Warren has worked to nationalize the race by tying Brown to the national Republican Party which has shifted further to the right in recent years, warning of what a GOP controlled Senate might mean for the country. Brown, on the other hand, has focused on his accomplishments as a senator and his reputation as a bipartisan legislator who can work with members of the other party.

Both candidates are aiming to not only further energize their own bases, but also to grab independent voters which, as of August, made up 52 percent of the adults registered to vote in Massachusetts. And while Warren is only pulling a very small margin of registered Republicans, Brown is aiming to boost his bipartisan appeal to win over registered Democrats to chip away at her chances of winning a six-year term in November.

When asked which candidate would help produce more jobs by striking "the right balance between promoting business and protecting consumers," 48 percent of those surveyed said Warren and 43 percent said Brown.

Read or download the full results of the survey below.

Mass Insight-ODC Fall Survey Results