Poll: Dem holds big lead in Mass. governor race

updated 5:27 p.m. ET Oct. 23, 2006

BOSTON - Democrat Deval Patrick holds a commanding lead over Republican Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey in the Massachusetts governor's race, a new poll of likely voters shows.

Patrick had the support of 55 percent of voters surveyed, compared with 30 percent for Healey, according to the Boston Globe/WBZ-TV poll, published Sunday. Independent candidate Christy Mihos received 7 percent, and Green-Rainbow Party candidate Grace Ross had 1 percent. About 6 percent of respondents were undecided.

The poll of 525 likely voters conducted Sept. 26-29 by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center and has a 4.3 percent margin of error. The response rate to the telephone survey was 20 percent.

The candidates are set to square off in three debates before election day, the first on Tuesday.

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