Given that Massachusetts is one of the deepest blue states, it makes sense that it would be firmly in the vanguard of the resistance to Trump. The challenge for the state’s all-Democratic congressional delegation is that the overall Massachusetts electorate is not exactly mounting the barricades.
Richard Parr
Posted inBy The Numbers
To understand 2024 results, hindsight is not 2020
This year’s Massachusetts results are much more on par, in terms of turnout and outcome, with every other presidential election so far this century — other than 2020. In that way, they represent more of a reversion to the mean than a shift to the right.
Posted inPolitics
Harris with huge lead in deep-blue Massachusetts
Kamala Harris has a 28-point lead over Donald Trump in Massachusetts, according new polling, a dramatic increase in the Democratic margin compared with polling in March with President Biden at the top of the ticket.
Posted inBy The Numbers
Is ‘somewhat safe’ good enough when it comes to transportation?
“Very” and “somewhat” responses are often grouped together, particularly when measuring support or opposition to a policy proposal or a public figure’s approval rating. But when it comes to safety, the question is whether feeling “somewhat safe” getting around is good enough?
Posted inBy The Numbers
Remote work declining, traffic is not
When a new poll for the
Barr Foundation asked those surveyed to name the top transportation issue facing Massachusetts, 39 percent cited issues with the existing public transportation network. That was the clear top item, followed by traffic congestion at 21 percent.
Posted inNews Analysis
Healey polling lower than Baker on transportation
For her handling of the T specifically, about as many gave Healey a D (17 percent), or an F (13 percent) as gave her an A (6 percent) or B (24 percent).
Posted inBy The Numbers
What regional differences reveal about Mass.
Poll results illuminate clear political regions within the state: Blue in Boston and its suburbs and in western Massachusetts; between them, a collar of red across central Massachusetts and wrapping north towards the New Hampshire border and down into the South Coast.
Posted inPolitics
Voters favor even split of millionaire’s tax
WHEN MASSACHUSETTS VOTERS approved a new surtax on income over $1 million last year, it was clear what that money was supposed to go to: transportation and education. But how […]
Posted inPolitics
Mail-in voting didn’t boost primary turnout
WHEN LAWMAKERS passed permanent no-excuse mail-in voting earlier this year, advocates billed it as a way to increase voter participation. “This is a historic bill that is going to have […]
Posted inPolitics
Who were the winners and losers (besides the candidates)?
WHO WON AND who lost yesterday? Of course, there are the candidates who put themselves and their ideas out there for voters. They all were winners for democracy, though the […]
Posted inNews Analysis
Poll shows strong support for workplace vax mandates
AS THE DELTA variant spurs an increase in cases and renewed calls for masking indoors, new poll numbers show Massachusetts employees broadly support their vaccine requirements for their own workplaces. […]
Posted inNews Analysis
Poll shows strong support for requiring vaccines for teachers, first responders, and other groups
NEWS THAT THE state’s biggest health care provider systems will be requiring COVID vaccinations of their employees will likely renew debate about whether other organizations or types of businesses should […]
Posted inNews Analysis
Getting Gateway Cities back on the bus
MUCH OF THE FOCUS on public transportation in Massachusetts during COVID has been on service cuts at the MBTA, but the Regional Transit Authorities serving the state’s Gateway Cities and […]
Posted inNews Analysis
Even in Mass., 1 in 4 think election not fair
JOE BIDEN won Massachusetts — by a lot, more even than Hillary Clinton did in 2016, more even than Barack Obama in 2012 or 2008. You have to go back […]
Posted inNews Analysis
What does early-vote surge mean for ‘Election Day’?
WE’RE GOING TO have to come up with a better phrase than “Election Day,” given how many Americans have already voted this year. As of Monday, over 95 million votes […]
Posted inHealth Care
Mass. voters offer Warren a warning on Medicare for All
AS MASSACHUSETTS Sen. Senator Elizabeth Warren joins Joe Biden atop the Democratic primary field, her rivals have sharpened their attacks on her positions, most notably around her support for Senator […]
Posted inNews Analysis
Americans evenly divided on impeachment
DEVELOPMENTS IN THE TRUMP-UKRAINE story are coming at a breakneck pace, and so now are national polls asking about whether the President should be impeached. There are enough impeachment polls […]
Posted inPolitics
Kennedy vs. Markey is no Pressley vs. Capuano
ON SATURDAY, Rep. Joe Kennedy formally announced his campaign to challenge Sen. Ed Markey in next year’s Democratic primary. Rumors of a Kennedy run have been swirling since earlier this […]
Posted inNews Analysis
Polling, like everything else, is moving online
HE’S NOT EVEN officially running, but we now have two polls showing Rep. Joe Kennedy III with a sizable lead over Sen. Ed Markey in the Democratic primary for US […]
Posted inNews Analysis
Did Liss-Riordan overstep on Second Amendment?
FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS about American’s constitutional right to bear arms are roiling the Massachusetts Democratic primary for US Senate. After mass shootings, a distressingly occurrence in American politics, the debate typically […]
Posted inNews Analysis
Shutdown sending Trump poll numbers down
“IF WE DON’T GET what we want … I am proud to shut down the government for border security, Chuck.” That, of course, was President Donald Trump in an unexpectedly […]
Posted inNews Analysis
Census politics
THE LATEST CENSUS population figures are out, and Massachusetts is keeping pace with national population growth. The state’s population grew to nearly 7 million people at a rate of 0.6 […]
Posted inNews Analysis
Seth Moulton and the shifting sands of polls
POLLING IS A SNAPSHOT in time. When times change, polls are a time capsule of the way it used to be. Perhaps no one better exemplifies the shifting sands of polls […]
Posted inNews Analysis
Charlie Baker and the incredible vanishing gender gap
Charlie Baker has bridged the gender gap. Nationally, Democratic women are fleeing the Republican party, threatening to swing a host of offices to Democrats, while men still tilt right. But […]