WWLP-22News – Gateway Cities Innovation Institute launches

A lot of state investment goes into Boston, but a new political force called the Gateway Cities Innovation Institute will make sure the rest of the state is given due attention.  At an official launching celebration at the State House Wednesday, the new center stated its goal of revitalizing a network of 24 midsize cities across the state, including Springfield, Pittsfield, Holyoke and Chicopee.

Lowell Sun – Gateway Cities Innovation Institute unveiled

The Gateway Cities Innovation Institute, a new entity that will use research, polling and policy development for the purpose of revitalizing former manufacturing centers in the state, will be officially launched at the Statehouse at 2 p.m. Wednesday.

The institute was formed by MassINC, an independent think tank that publishes Commonwealth magazine, along with sponsors, members, fellows and public officials.

Boston Globe – New Bedford dares to dream

Bobbing along the Acushnet River on a sparkling morning, you get the sense this storied and long-pummeled city might be on the brink of something great.

A couple of recently derelict mill buildings boast handsome, shiny new windows, and tenants with water views. Workers are transforming another hulking, long-vacant shell into lofts. City economic development chief Matt Morrissey points to the 22-acre Riverside Park and traces the path of the newly funded Riverwalk, which will reconnect residents with the waterfront.

According to think tank MassINC, a huge 12 percent of New Bedford residents are unemployed; 44 percent are poor; only 14 percent have a bachelor’s degree; 55 percent of kids are already behind by third grade; and an anemic 54 percent graduate high school in four years.

South Coast Today – New Gateway Cities institute to launch Wednesday

The push by Gateway Cities to gain statewide clout is becoming institutionalized — literally — with the launch of a new policy institute.

Mass Inc., the think tank that first coined the “Gateway Cities” term in 2007 with a policy paper calling on the state to reinvest in its depressed industrialized urban centers, will launch the new Gateway Cities Innovation Institute on Wednesday with a reception that is already at capacity.

“We planned it as a low-key event but there’s been an incredible amount of buzz,” said Benjamin Forman, the new executive director of the institute, who said about 150 people have signed up for the 2 p.m. Statehouse reception so far.

Hamilton-Wenham Patch – Third-Party Congressional Candidate Calls Foul on WCVB

For a recent Fox 25 debate, U.S. Rep. John Tierney chose not to attend. But now, another local news station is asking another candidate to do the same.

In addition to the 10-minute long debate on Fox 25, Fishman has already in two other debates – one sponsored by MassINC in Lynn and another this week at Danvers High School sponsored by the Salem News and Jewish Journal.

MassLive.com – Point / Counterpoint: Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse and Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno write dueling casino commentaries in CommonWealth Magazine
In commentaries posted to the website of CommonWealth Magazine today, Holyoke Mayor Alex B. Morse and Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno take opposite views of the potential impacts a casino can bring to a community.

Boston Herald – Joe Kennedy III, Sean Bielat trade jabs

Democrat Joseph P. Kennedy III and Republican Sean Bielat traded barbs on campaign finance yesterday, with Kennedy saying his opponent turned down an offer to keep super PAC money out of the race while Bielat painted his challenger as a deep-pocketed youngster simply interested in a political career.

During an hourlong debate in Fall River, Kennedy and Bielat began to draw lines in their fight to replace U.S. Rep. Barney Frank in the 4th Congressional District.

Boston Globe – Kennedy and Bielat clash on jobs, campaign laws in debate

Republican Sean Bielat and Democrat Joseph P. ­Kennedy III faced off in their second debate Wednesday in the race for the congressional seat being ­vacated by US Representative ­Barney Frank, and though the liberal stalwart was not in attendance, his presence was still felt.

The debate was cosponsored by UMass Dartmouth and MassINC, a nonpartisan think tank. During a “lightning round” segment, Kennedy said he would support a constitutional amendment to mitigate effects of the Citizens United decision, the Supreme Court ruling that lifted restrictions on campaign contributions from corporations and unions. Bielat said such an amendment would have to include a more comprehensive reform plan.

Fox News – Newest Kennedy candidate drawn into debate in closing weeks of bid for Frank’s seat

The newest member of the Kennedy family to enter politics appears well positioned to win a congressional seat for Democrats in Massachusetts, but not before at least one TV debate in which his Republican opponent will try to expose his inexperience.

Joe Kennedy III entered the race with nearly every advantage over Republican Sean Bielat, an ex-Marine and businessman who like Kennedy has an Ivy League education.

Foxborough Patch – 2 New Polls Show Mixed Results in Warren/Brown Race
Two new polls released Tuesday show a race that has yet to have a clear leader in the campaign to represent Massachusetts in the Senate.

A new poll from WBUR and MassINC of 501 likely voters conducted between Oct. 5-7 shows Senator Scott Brown leading Elizabeth Warren, 48 to 45 percent, but a recent UMASS-Amherst/YouGov America poll of 500 registered voters conducted between Oct. 2-8 gives Warren a 48 percent to 46 percent lead.

Fall River Herald News – Bielat, Kennedy spar on aways to achieve the American Dream

With less than a month remaining until voters decide the 4th Congressional District’s next representative, the two candidates seeking the seat attempted to lay out their differences Wednesday and explain how they will help citizens achieve the American Dream.

With the MassINC and Commonwealth Magazine-sponsored debate focused on the American Dream theme, each candidate noted it will take more than politicians to lead to improvements and help Americans find stable footing.

Brookline Patch – Kennedy Agrees to One More TV Debate

One more debate added to the schedule for the Mass. Fourth District race, Boston.com reports that Joseph Kennedy III agreed to meet his opponent one more time. The debate will be Oct. 24, on Fox 25. 

The first of the debates was broadcast Sept. 30, and took place at the  WCVB-TV 5 studios in Needham. Kennedy and Bielat are slated to face off in MassINC’s “American Dream” forum in Fall River tonight, Oct. 10, and at Wellesley College for a League of Women Voters debate on Oct. 15. 

WPRI – Congressional Candidates Face Off in Mass.

Democrat Joseph Kennedy III and Republican Sean Bielat are both looking to succeed Congressman Barney Frank.

Policymic – Mass Senate Race: Brown Warren Debate Schedule and Polls
Another day, another poll in the U.S. Senate race in Massachusetts between Republican Senator Scott Brown and Democrat Elizabeth Warren. Conducted by WBUR and Mass. Inc, the poll — the tenth independent survey taken in the last month — shows Brown leading the Harvard Law professor by four points among likely voters 47% to 43%.

Boston Globe – Joseph Kennedy III, under pressure, agrees to another televised debate with Sean Bielat

Democratic congressional candidate Joseph P. Kennedy III, under pressure to agree to more debates, has scheduled another televised faceoff with his Republican opponent, Sean Bielat.

Kennedy and Bielat have also agreed to two debates that will not be broadcast as widely: a MassINC forum in Fall River Wednesday, which will be broadcast on local TV and radio; and a League of Women Voters forum on Monday in Wellesley, which will not be broadcast.

Boston Globe – Brown retakes lead from Warren in new poll

US Senator Scott Brown has regained a lead over Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren in a new WBUR-MassINC poll, after a string of polls showed Warren with the lead. The poll is the first since Brown and Warren’s second debate at the University of Massachusetts Lowell on Oct. 1.

America Now – Polls are mixed ahead of third Senate debate

One day before Democratic candidate Elizabeth Warren will face off against Sen. Scott Brown, new numbers are showing just how tight the race really is.

A new poll out of the University of Massachusetts Amherst finds Warren holds a narrow lead of 48 percent to 46 percent among likely voters.

But a different poll released today by WBUR and MassINC finds Brown in the lead 47 percent to 43 percent.

WBUR Poll: Brown Leads Warren By 4 Points
A new WBUR poll (PDFs — topline, crosstabs) finds a turn in the U.S. Senate race. Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Scott Brown now leads his Democratic challenger, Elizabeth Warren, 47 to 43 percent. The survey of likely voters, conducted Oct. 5-7, has a 4.4 percent margin of error.

Talking Points Memo – Poll: Brown Overtakes Warren, Leads By 3 In Massachusetts

Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) has taken the lead in the marquee U.S. Senate race playing out in Massachusetts, according to a new poll out Tuesday.

The latest survey from MassINC Polling Group shows Brown leading Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren among likely Bay State voters (including leaners), 48 percent to 45 percent.

Examiner – Republican Senate majority likely on election day
A WBUR/MassINC poll released today shows Republican Senator Scott Brown leading 48 percent to 45 percent over Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren in the Massachusetts senate race.

Fall River Herald News – No more seats for Kennedy, Bielat debate on Wednesday
Seating for Wednesday’s debate between Republican Sean Bielat and Democrat Joseph Kennedy has been closed.

Fall River Herald News – Kennedy-Bielat debate all booked up

No seats remain, but a waiting list has been started for an Oct. 10 senatorial debate between Republican Sean Bielat and Democrat Joseph Kennedy III.

Hosted by MassINC, Commonwealth Magazine, The Herald News and The Taunton Gazette, the debate is one of three scheduled between the two candidates seeking the 4th Congressional District seat.

Bangor Daily News – Republicans cheer internal poll showing Maine’s Senate race tightening

Charlie Summers’ Senate campaign and the Republican party’s Senate campaign arm are cheering the release of polling data this week that show independent former Gov. Angus King’s lead in the race for Maine’s open U.S. Senate seat tightening to a four-point advantage over Summers.

Polling experts say it’s important to recognize the Republican group’s poll for what it is in evaluating the results. But even if its specific results differ from other recent surveys’, experts say it points to the reality that Maine’s Senate race has become a competitive one.

“Other polls are showing this race tightening up, too,” said Steve Koczela, president of Boston-based MassINC Polling Group, which conducted a public survey of the Senate race in mid-June after the Democratic and Republican primaries.

Salem News – Tierney or Tisei? 2 independent polls differ widely

Political polls aren’t much different than New England’s autumn weather: if you don’t like the climate out there, wait a few minutes.

Just two weeks earlier, a Mass Inc. poll, conducted Sept. 8 through Sept. 10, had Tierney ahead by 7 points among likely voters — 39 percent for Tierney, 32 percent for Tisei, with 22 percent undecided.

Masslive.com – Emotions high outside Tsongas Center in Lowell as Scott Brown and Elizabeth Warren take stage for 2nd debate

With more than 4,500 in attendance to see Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown and Democrat Elizabeth Warren take the stage in their second debate, the real passion was found with the hundreds of supporters camped outside the Tsongas Center at the UMass-Lowell campus.

A WBUR/MassINC Polling Group survey of 504 likely voters released on Monday concluded that voters prefer Warren over Brown, 46 percent to 44 percent, although the lead is within the poll’s 4.4 percent margin of error.

Wicked Local Wareham – Light edge to Warren over Brown in latest poll
A WBUR poll conducted after Elizabeth Warren and Sen. Scott Brown held their first debate showed Warren with a two-point edge over Brown, a margin within the poll’s 4.4 percent margin of error. The poll of 504 likely voters, conducted by the MassINC Polling last Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, showed Warren up 46-44, with 9 percent of those surveyed undecided.

NECN – Tisei leads Tierney in new poll

Posing for pictures and shaking hands during a day of retail politicking at the Topsfield Fair, it was easy for Republican congressional candidate Richard Tisei to have a smile on his face: A new Boston Globe poll showed him opening up a surprising 6-point lead over incumbent eight-term Democrat John Tierney.

However, the poll also showed a whopping 30 percent of voters undecided – indicating that what is by far Republicans’ best shot at knocking out one of the state’s all-Democrat delegation is certain to be a bruising, contentious contest for the last five weeks.

MassINC polling president Steve Koczela said differences in how he and the Globe/University of New Hampshire worded the poll may account for the much higher undecided count in this poll than the MassINC poll.

National Journal – Warren Edges Brown in Another Poll
A second poll in as many days shows Democrat Elizabeth Warren with a slight lead over Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., propelled by President Obama‘s 2-to-1 advantage in the Bay State. Warren leads Brown, 49 percent to 45 percent, in the poll, conducted by the MassINC Polling Group for Boston’s NPR affiliate, WBUR-FM. Warren’s edge is within the poll’s margin of error of plus-or-minus 4.4 percentage points.

WBUR – Warren Maintains Narrow Lead In Latest WBUR Senate Poll
The latest WBUR poll of 504 likely voters (PDFs – topline, crosstabs) finds a still tight race between Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Scott Brown and his Democratic challenger, Elizabeth Warren, with Warren leading Sen. Brown by two points, 46 to 44 percent. The survey, conducted Sept. 26-28 by MassINC Polling Group, has a 4.4 percent margin of error.

Talking Points Memo – Two New Polls Show Warren Leading Brown In Mass.

Elizabeth Warren continues to hold the lead over Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) that she built in the weeks following the Democratic National Conventio, a pair of new polls show.

A new survey released today that was conducted by MassINC Polling Group and commissioned by Boston public radio affiliate WBUR shows Warren holding a 4-point lead over Brown among likely voters (including leaners), 49 percent to 45 percent.