Political Cortex: Brain Food for the Body Politic

Tom Reilly's 40-point lead in the polls has narrowed substantially, with 44 percent of new poll takers indicating they would be less likely to vote for Reilly for governor due to reports that his handpicked running mate was negligent on tax and student loan payments.  According to results of a 7NEWS/Suffolk University poll taken Feb. 2 to Feb. 4 ...  39 percent of Democrats indicated they would vote for Reilly, 30 percent opted for former corporate attorney and civil rights law enforcer Deval Patrick, and 31 percent said they were undecided.  The poll of 400 registered voters has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percent.  Seventy-seven percent of respondents said they were aware of recent news about Rep. Marie St. Fleur's withdrawal from the Reilly  campaign, while 21 percent said they were not aware of the flap over St. Fleur.  "What was nearly a 40-point lead last February is only a nine-point lead today," David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center said in a statement.  "What's worse is among core registered Democrats, the Democratic Primary is now a statistical dead heat."  Among all registered voters surveyed in the poll, 35 percent viewed Reilly favorably, and 33 percent unfavorably.  Last year, 55 percent viewed Reilly favorably, compared to 11 percent unfavorably.

Patrick crushed Reilly in the recent Democratic Party caucuses by a margin of nearly 2-1.

Reilly who has raised more than $3 million and has long been seen as the all-but-inevitable candidate. However, Reilly's stock is plummeting.

This is happening in part because of Reilly's missteps that have impressed no one, but also because Democratic voters are concluding that Deval Patrick is a far better candidate with a far better chance of winning the corner office for the Democrats for the first time since 1986.