Democrat Maura Healey starts off the general election for governor of Massachusetts with a major advantage over Republican Geoff Diehl, according to a new poll.
The Suffolk University/Boston Globe/NBC10 Boston/Telemundo poll -- which includes all the candidates who qualified for the November ballot -- shows Healey with a 26-point lead over Diehl.
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Healey has 52% and Diehl 26% in the poll, conducted with 500 likely voters Sept. 10-13, after the Massachusetts primary elections. The general election is Nov. 8.
In the heavily Democratic commonwealth, Healey's lead doesn't come as a surprise, Suffolk pollster David Paleologos said.
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"Maura Healey has widespread support among numerous demographics: age, gender, geography, race, you name it," Paleologos said Wednesday.
Whomever wins the governor's race will inherit a state that most residents feel is doing well.
Asked if Massachusetts is heading in the right direction, 56% of those polled said yes, while 29% said the state is on the wrong track.
That result stands in stark contrast to Bay Staters' view of the United States. The same amount of people polled, 56%, said the country is on the wrong track. Just 28% said right direction.
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When asked who is most responsible for Massachusetts being headed in the right direction, it is outgoing Governor Charlie Baker who came out on top, with 36%. Just under one-quarter credited the state's Legislature, 15% said President Joe Biden and 13% said the economy in general is responsible.
More specifically on the economy, 41% polled believe the country is in a recession. Twenty-two percent say it is in stagnation, 20% believe the country is in economic recovery and 9% say depression.
"That doesn't necessarily translate into instant optimism, but less people view the economy as dire as they did a few months ago," Paleologos said.
Asked to give job approval, 48% said they approve of the job Biden is doing, while 43% disapprove.
A whopping 70% say they approve of the job Baker is doing, and just 18% saying they disapprove.
"It was an amazing result," Paleologos said. "For an incumbent politician, in these hostile times, it's so unusual to see a governor at 70% job approval."
Third-party candidates received enough votes in the primary that the Libertarian and Green-Rainbow designations could become official parties in Massachusetts this year, Paleologos said.
