Poll Republican Leads Race for Kennedy Seat

A new poll shows that Republican candidate Scott Brown, a onetime Cosmo pinup who opposes marriage equality, leads Democrat Martha Coakley four days ahead of the special election for the Senate seat held by the late Edward M. Kennedy.

The Suffolk University/7 News poll places Brown ahead of Coakley for the first significant time, according to the Boston Herald. Brown leads by four points, within the margin of error.

"The poll shows Brown, a state senator from Wrentham, besting Coakley, the state's attorney general, by 50 percent to 46 percent, the first major survey to show Brown in the lead," reports the Herald. "Unenrolled long-shot Joseph L. Kennedy, an information technology executive with no relation to the famous family, gets 3 percent of the vote. Only 1 percent of voters were undecided."

Large numbers of independent voters are expected to turn out on Tuesday, which strategists expect to benefit Brown. According to the Herald, the poll suggests that Brown will win if his momentum holds, while it serves as a wake-up call to the Coakley camp.