Emerson College Poll: Bay State Dems Support Hillary Over Warren; Bush, Walker Top GOP Field

BOSTON, March 24, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new survey of Massachusetts voters found Hillary Clinton with a sizeable lead over Sen. Elizabeth Warren, 43% to 16%, in a hypothetical Democrat presidential primary. Republican primary voters were split at 19% apiece for Jeb Bush and Scott Walker, with Ben Carson in third at 13%. Clinton held 20-point leads in head-to-head matchups with both Bush and Walker. The survey was conducted by the Emerson College Polling Society from March 14-19, 2015.

Although Massachusetts is strongly opposed to the death penalty and has not executed anyone in nearly 60 years, the federal case against Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has elicited strong and widespread support for Tsarnaev to be given the death penalty. More than half (52%) think he should face that ultimate punishment, while only 23% are opposed and 25% are undecided.

Governor Charlie Baker got high marks for his handling of this winter's epic snowstorms, which shut down large portions of the state on three consecutive Mondays and resulted in record-breaking snowfall. Four out of five voters (82%) said they approve of Baker's performance during the storms compared to 18% who disapprove. This high level of support crossed party lines, with 77% of Democrats, 82% of Independents and 94% of Republicans giving Baker a thumbs-up.

New England Patriots fans expressed their faith in Coach Bill Belichick's philosophy of not overpaying players, even major stars. Asked if the Pats should have given cornerback Darrelle Revis, a six-time Pro Bowl player, the $20 million he asked for to stay in Boston, respondents said no by a wide margin, 44% to 17%, with 39% undecided.

Support for Boston's bid to host the 2024 summer Olympics has dwindled by 11% since a January ECPS poll. In the March survey, only 31% support the games being held here―down from 42% in January―and 51% are opposed.

Voters' top worry about the Games (public debt related to Olympic investments) has increased across both genders, all major parties, and all income groups. In January, 37% of respondents said public debt was their biggest concern compared to 48% in the March poll. The second most commonly cited Olympic worry, mentioned by 16% in March, was crowds, traffic and MBTA delays during the Games. Terrorism was cited by 16% as well, down 10 points from the January survey where it was mentioned by 26%.

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This Emerson College Polling Society survey was conducted statewide in Massachusetts from March 14-19, using an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system. The survey sample consisted of 798 adults. The poll has a margin of error of +/-3.4% with a 95% confidence level. The full survey methodology and results can be found at www.theecps.com

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SOURCE Emerson College Polling Society

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