Patrick In Slight Lead In Suffolk Poll

Team,

You may have seen the Suffolk University poll reported in today’s Boston Herald. While many of the pundits will be talking about a new horse-race poll showing that the Governor is still 8 and 10 points ahead of his opponents, we feel there is another poll in today’s Herald that did not get as much attention but which could have a much greater impact on the campaign in the long term.

Mass Insight, a private research and consulting group, released a poll that shows a major jump in the consumer confidence index. There are a few things we think you need to know about this survey.

  • Massachusetts’s consumer confidence index rose 12 points in the first quarter of 2010, to 73. This is the highest level of consumer confidence since October 2007 — two months before the recession officially began.
  • The Massachusetts consumer confidence index outpaces the national and New England index by double digits. This is more evidence that Massachusetts is poised to come out of the recession stronger and faster than the rest of the country.
  • According to Mass Insight President William Guenther, “Massachusetts residents see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
  • The poll also showed there is strong concern over the job market. This shows how important it is that the Patrick-Murray administration is investing in programs and projects that create jobs. We just released a video highlighting the effect of one of these investments.

This is just another of many recent independent indications that Massachusetts is coming out of the recession stronger and faster than the rest of the country. The fact is that the Governor and his team have addressed difficult, long-standing issues in a way that has laid the foundation for Massachusetts to compete and succeed in the new global economy.  Recently, a report by the Federal Reserve showed that the Massachusetts economy had outperformed 48 of 50 states over the last three months of 2009.

That is why we remain focused on talking about the work Governor Patrick and Lt. Governor Murray are doing to help the citizens of Massachusetts through the economic downturn, and ensure that the Commonwealth comes out of this recession stronger and faster than the rest of the country. We are pleased that the daily horse-race polls continue to show the Governor in the lead, but Governor Patrick’s focus has always been what is best for the long-term interests of the Commonwealth.

Thanks,

Doug Rubin
Senior Strategist
Deval Patrick Campaign