Brown Takes Lead Over Coakley in Massachusetts Race, Poll Shows

Monday: Republican Scott Brown and Democrat Martha Coakley make last minute preparations before a debate on the campus of the University of Massachusetts in Boston. (AP Photo)

Republican candidate Scott Brown has taken the lead over Democrat Martha Coakley in the race for the Massachusetts Senate seat formerly held by Ted Kennedy, the latest poll shows.

The Suffolk University/7News poll showed Brown leading Coakley by 4 percentage points. Brown had 50 percent, Coakley had 46 percent and independent candidate Joseph Kennedy, who is not related to the late senator, had 3 percent.

The race is still within the 4.4-point margin of error, but David Paleologos, the university's political research center director, said in a statement that the survey shows Brown has "surged dramatically."

Polls of the Massachusetts race have shown the race tightening over the past several weeks, but most have shown Coakley in the lead. With the election set for Tuesday, both candidates have brought out heavy hitters to campaign for them. The race has taken on outsized importance, since a Brown win would break the Democrats' 60-vote, filibuster-proof majority in the Senate.

Former President Bill Clinton and Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., are headlining a rally for Coakley Friday afternoon in Boston. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is campaigning with Brown in Boston Friday.

The Suffolk poll of 500 registered voters in the state was conducted Jan. 11-13.

Click here to read more about the Massachusetts poll.