



| Steve Senne/AP Photo Poll: Capuano still leads closely watched Massachusetts primary The 10-term Democrat's challenger, Ayanna Pressley, hasn't gained ground on the incumbent, a new survey shows.

BOSTON — A new poll shows Rep. Mike Capuano of Massachusetts maintaining his lead over primary challenger Ayanna Pressley, though the 10-term Democrat is still below 50 percent in next month's closely watched contest.

Among likely Democratic primary voters, 48 percent prefer Capuano, while 35 percent prefer Pressley, according to a new poll from WBUR-FM and MassINC Polling Group. That is virtually unchanged from the previous poll in February, when Capuano led Pressley, 47 percent to 35 percent.


The Pressley-Capuano matchup has drawn attention in the wake of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s upset victory in June over longtime incumbent Rep. Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.), thanks in part to Ocasio-Cortez’s primary-night tweet endorsing Pressley. The primary is on Sept. 4, the day after Labor Day.

Pressley, a 42-year-old African-American woman, appeals to younger voters of color, while Capuano, a 66-year-old white man, polls stronger among older white voters. According to the poll, 60 percent of white voters prefer Capuano, while 53 percent of African-American voters prefer Pressley. Massachusetts' 7th District, which includes much of Boston as well as swaths of Randolph, Cambridge, Somerville and Everett, is the state's lone majority-minority district.

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Both candidates are well-liked. Capuano has 65 percent favorability and 8 percent unfavorability, while half of likely primary voters, 50 percent, view Pressley favorably, with just 8 percent having an unfavorable opinion.

Ocasio-Cortez is trying to boost Pressley, though the New Yorker's profile in the district is limited. Just more than a third of primary voters, 36 percent, view Ocasio-Cortez favorably, while only 6 percent have an unfavorable opinion of her. But 43 percent have never heard of her, and another 14 percent said they had heard of her but didn't have an opinion.

Republican Gov. Charlie Baker, who is strongly favored for reelection this fall, remains popular, even among these Democratic voters. More than 6 in 10, or 62 percent, view him favorably, and only 20 percent have an unfavorable opinion.

The WBUR/MassINC poll was conducted July 27-29, surveying 403 likely Democratic primary voters. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.

Capuano and Pressley will meet in their latest one-on-one debate next Monday.