A new poll of likely voters released today found Democrat Edward J. Markey leading Republican Gabriel E. Gomez by seven percentage points, just over two weeks before Massachusetts voters choose their next US Senator.
The Suffolk University poll found Markey ahead 48 percent to Gomez’s 41 percent, with 10 percent of respondents still undecided. The margin of error was plus or minus 4.4 percent.
The race appears to have tightened substantially since early May, when a Suffolk University/7 News poll found Markey had a 17-point lead over Gomez.
Each candidate has gone on the attack against his opponent in recent weeks. Still, in the new poll, the candidates were both viewed more favorably than unfavorably by voters.
Forty-four percent of those polled had a favorable opinion of Markey, a longtime US Representative, while 37 percent had an unfavorable opinion of him. Thirty-eight percent had a favorable opinion of Gomez, a private equity investor and former Navy SEAL, while 33 percent had an unfavorable opinion of him.
On Wednesday, President Obama is set to campaign for Markey in Boston. The Suffolk poll found the President remains well-regarded in the state. Sixty percent of those surveyed had a favorable opinion of Obama while only 35 percent had an unfavorable opinion of him.
Last month, Gomez ignited controversy when he called Markey “pond scum.†The survey asked about the issue. Seventy-eight percent of respondents said they do not believe the US Representative is “pond scum.â€
The Suffolk University telephone poll surveyed 500 likely US Senate special election voters by landline and cell phone from June 6 through June 9.
The election is set for June 25.
Joshua Miller can be reached at joshua.miller@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @jm_bos.
