Why polls aren't trustworthy

Published Sep 12 2006, 09:58 PM by Adam Reilly

From the September 13, 1990 Boston Globe--i.e., five days before that year's Democratic gubernatorial primary:

Former Attorney General Francis X. Bellotti leads Boston University president-on-leave John R. Silber 54 percent to 31 percent in the race for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, according to a Boston Globe/WBZ-TV poll conducted last night.

Silber won.

Obviously, there was a very different dynamic to that race: Bellotti was the establishment candidate and Silber the (conservative) outsider-insurgent. But whatever CBS4 and State House News may be saying today, this race isn't over yet.

Thanks to Kyle Robidoux for bringing this to my attention.