5/3/2006

For more information, please contact:
Mariellen Norris at 617.573.8450 or
Tony Ferullo at 617.573.8448

Gabrieli Earns 15% of Democratic Voters Statewide

BOSTON – With his ballot access at the June Democratic Convention in question, venture capitalist Chris Gabrieli has earned the support of 15% of Democratic voters statewide, according to a 7NEWS/Suffolk University poll released today.

When asked, if the Democratic primary were held today and the candidates were Chris Gabrieli, Deval Patrick and Tom Reilly, to whom would you lean, 35% selected Reilly, 20% chose Patrick, and 15% picked Gabrieli, while 29% were undecided.

Over the last month, Gabrieli's popularity has significantly improved, in part due to his decision to be the first candidate to air television ads, introducing his candidacy of new ideas and educational reforms.

“Gabrieli's rising popularity has made him competitive,” said David Paleologos, Director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center. “Democratic delegates at the June convention will be hard pressed to exclude him from the September primary.”

In addition, Gabrieli would defeat Republican nominee Kerry Healey if the final election for Governor were held today. When asked, if the final election for Governor were held today, toward whom would you lean, 31% selected Gabrieli, 25% chose Healey, 10% picked Independent businessman Christy Mihos, and 4% selected Green Rainbow Party nominee Grace Ross. A total of 30% of those polled were undecided. Gabrieli's 6-point lead contrasts sharply with the April 7NEWS/Suffolk University poll which showed Gabrieli trailing Healey by 3% (29%-26%).

As Gabrieli scrambles to court the nearly 5,000 attendees at the Democratic Convention, front-runner and current Attorney General Tom Reilly continues to lead Democratic voters statewide and would also defeat Kerry Healey, 33%-26%.

“Make no mistake about it, if the election was held today, Tom Reilly would be the Democratic nominee and Tom Reilly would be the next Governor,” stated Paleologos. “Reilly's base was especially strong among males and voters in Middlesex and Essex counties.”

The 7NEWS/Suffolk University poll also revealed that, although Reilly would win the final election, his margin against Kerry Healey has declined in five consecutive polls. For example, in June of 2005, Reilly led Healey by 17%, compared to just 7% today.

The poll also showed Healey defeating Deval Patrick for the first time in a general election, 28%-26%.

In other findings, the 7NEWS / Suffolk University poll showed that all Democratic constitutional officer candidates easily bested their respective challengers. In the race for Attorney General, Middlesex District Attorney Martha Coakley led Republican Lawrence Frisoli, 49%-13%. In the race for State Treasurer, Incumbent Democrat Tim Cahill (46%) toppled Republican Ronald Davy (6%) and Green Rainbow Party nominee James O'Keefe (6%).

Furthermore, in the race for Secretary of State, Incumbent Democrat Bill Galvin defeated Green Rainbow nominee Jill Stein, 46%-10%. And in the race for State Auditor, Incumbent Democrat Joe DeNucci was victorious over Republican Earl Stroll by a wide margin (48%-10%).

The Suffolk University poll was conducted April 30 thru May 2, 2006. The margin of error is +/- 4.9% at a 95% level of confidence. All 400 Massachusetts respondents indicated they were registered voters and had voted in the 2002 gubernatorial election.

Suffolk University is scheduled to release 245 pages, marginals, charts and cross-tabulation data on its website ( www.suffolk.edu ) on Thursday, May 4, 2006. For more information, please contact Suffolk adjunct professor David Paleologos at 781.290.9310.

Suffolk University, located on Boston's historic Beacon Hill, with campuses in Madrid, Spain and Dakar, Senegal (Africa), is a comprehensive global institution distinguished by its teaching and the intellectual contributions of its faculty. Suffolk offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs in more than 70 areas of study. Its mission is to provide quality education at a reasonable cost for students of all ages and backgrounds, with strong emphasis on diversity. Suffolk has a combined enrollment of more than 8,300 full-time and part-time students at its Law School , College of Arts and Sciences and Sawyer Business School.

Back to News »