Deval Patrick Wins First Party Straw Poll of the Season

You know the campaign season has really started when straw polls are held at political party functions. The results of straw polls are far from scientific samples of popular opinion -- but they can be strong indicators of activist strength. Its a full-year before the 2006 Democratic Party primary and there will undoubtedly be lots of straw polls. But it will be interesting to see if this first one was a fluke, or an early sign of an historic upset.

Deval Patrick beat front-runner Tom Reilly by 3-1 in the first straw poll of party activists a local democratic party fundraiser at the Weymouth Elks Hall on September 16th. "The straw poll is an early indication about the support of the leading Democrats who are vying to be the next Governor of Massachusetts," said Jim Cantwell, Chairman of Co-op 8/South Shore Democratic Caucus, the group which held the straw poll.

The group was asked: If the election were held today for whom would you vote?

Deval Patrick 46
Thomas Reilly 16
Undecided 8
Bill Galvin 1

The South Shore Democratic Caucus is made up of the communities in the Plymouth & Norfolk State Senate District including the towns of Cohasset, Duxbury, Hingham, Hull, Marshfield, Norwell, Scituate and Weymouth.