MA: Early Polling Reveals Competitive Race for Governor

A Boston Globe poll of likely voters reveals the outlines of a competitive three-way race for governor of the state this November, with independent Tim Cahill in second place behind Democratic Governor Deval Patrick and ahead of Republican Charles Baker:

In a three-way matchup that included Cahill and Republican Charles D. Baker, a former health insurance executive, Patrick won support from 30 percent of those surveyed, with Cahill getting 23 percent and Baker 19 percent. The result was roughly the same when Cape Cod businessman Christy Mihos was the GOP candidate in the lineup . . .
Although Cahill trails Patrick in the three-way matchup, the poll had some good news for him. He received better favorability ratings than his three potential rivals, with 39 percent viewing him favorably and 15 percent unfavorably. Patrick held a better than 2-to-1 lead over Cahill among Democrats - 46 to 20 percent, while Cahill had a slight edge among unenrolled voters, 26 to 20 percent.