Poll Shows Tierney Ahead Of Tisei
A new WBUR poll of the 6th Congressional District shows incumbent Democrat John Tierney ahead with 39%, Republican challenger Richard Tisei behind with 32%, and libertarian Daniel Fishman pulling 6%. With 'leaners,' it's Tierney 46%, Tisei 34%, Fishman 7%.
My take: the poll shows a continuing huge vulnerability for Tierney, who as an incumbent is far shy of 50% comfortably supporting his re-election. But Tisei remains incredibly unknown in the district, despite a long state senate career, a high-profile lieutenant governor campaign, and the major scrutiny on Tierney's family, which has drawn attention to the race.
What this suggests is that Tierney still has an opportunity to define Tisei for the voters in the district. The key to this race may lie in whether Tierney can paint Tisei as a conservative who will further the Boehner/Ryan/GOP agenda, before Tisei can reassure voters he is a moderate.