Congressional candidate Richard Tisei (R) led Rep. John Tierney (D) by 7 points in a recent 6th district poll.

In a confidential polling memo sent from GOP pollster John McLaughlin to Tisei’s campaign manager — and obtained by Roll Call — Tisei took 40 percent to Tierney’s 33 percent, with 27 percent undecided. The horse race numbers include voters who definitely, probably and lean toward voting for each candidate.

Six months before the election, it’s a potentially major development in heavily Democratic Massachusetts, a state that hasn’t elected a Republican to the House since 1994. It’s also likely to be a fundraising boon to Tisei, who has outraised Tierney in each of the past two quarters.

Also in the Republican survey: 36 percent of those surveyed had a favorable opinion of Tierney, while 37 percent had an unfavorable view of the eight-term Congressman. Twenty-two percent had a favorable opinion of Tisei, a former state Senator, while 10 percent had an unfavorable opinion of him. Five percent had never heard of Tierney, while a third of those surveyed had never heard of Tisei.

Massachusetts: Richard Tisei Leads John Tierney in Republican Poll
By Joshua Miller
Tuesday, May 15, 2012