State Sen. Scott Brown (R) leads state Attorney General Martha Coakley (D) by four percentage points among likely voters in the Massachusetts Senate race according to a new poll by Suffolk University conducted Jan. 11 to 13.

Brown, a huge underdog at the start of the special election, has surged into the lead, 50 to 46 percent over Coakley, with independent candidate Joe Kennedy (no relation to the late Sen. Edward Kennedy, who held the seat for decades) at 3 percent and 1 percent undecided. The margin of error is 4.4 percent.

Coakley's unfavorable rating has jumped considerably in the past two months. The latest Suffolk poll found that 41 percent of likely voters now have an unfavorable opinion of her, compared to 21 percent in mid-November. Forty-nine percent now view Coakley favorably.

A majority of Massachusetts voters disapprove of Gov. Deval Patrick's job performance and would prefer electing someone else in 2010, according to a Suffolk University poll conducted Nov. 4 through 8.

Fifty-one percent of voters disapprove of the job Patrick is doing in his first term, including majorities of Republicans and independents; 42 percent approve. Just 32 percent of voters think Patrick deserves to be re-elected, wile 55 percent say it is time to elect someone else. The margin of error is 4 percent.

Patrick, however, leads in a three-way race against independent Tim Cahill, the state's current treasurer, and either of two prospective Republican candidates. Against Republican businessman Christy Mihos, Patrick takes 36 percent of the vote while Cahill nabs 26 percent and Mihos comes in at 20 percent. Eighteen percent remain undecided.

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley continues to dominate the Democratic primary race for the Senate seat held by Edward M. Kennedy until his death Aug. 25. She leads in nearly every category of voter, according to a Suffolk University/7 News poll of 600 registered voters conducted Nov. 4-8.

Coakley, the only statewide officeholder in the field of four candidates, has a plurality among male and female voters as well as across every region of the state. She also leads in every age group except the youngest (18- to 34-year-olds) and the oldest (75-plus), where she is tied with Boston Celtics co-owner Stephen Pagliuca. The poll's margin of error is plus or minus 4 percent.

Overall, the survey shows Coakley taking 44 percent of the primary vote, with Pagliuca second at 17 percent. They are followed by Rep. Michael E. Capuano at 16 percent and Alan Khazei, co-founder of the community service program City Year, at 3 percent.

As the Virginia Democratic primary for governor nears, another poll is showing a tight race. State Sen. Creigh Deeds leads at 29 percent, with former Democratic Party chairman Terry McAuliffe at 26 percent and former state legislator Brian Moran at 23 percent with 22 percent still undecided, according to a Suffolk University poll conducted June 1-3. The margin of error is 4.4 percent.

A SurveyUSA poll released yesterday and conducted May 31 - June 2 had McAuliffe at 35 percent, Deeds at 29 percent and Moran at 26 percent with the margin of error being 4.4 points.

"What makes this race even tougher to call is that when undecided voters statewide were prodded to choose one of the three candidates, many were breaking to McAuliffe and, to a lesser extent, Moran," said Suffolk's David Paleologos. "With the remaining undecided at 22 percent, the Deeds lead could be fluid, and the final tally could hinge on last-minute campaign ads, momentum, the weather, and get-out-the-vote efforts from all the candidates."

Forty-seven percent of Massachusetts voters say they'd rather choose someone else other than Gov. Deval Patrick in 2010, with 34 percent saying he deserves re-election, according to a 7News/Suffolk University poll conducted March 17-20. Twenty percent were undecided.

Matched against fellow Democrat, State Treasurer Timothy Cahill, who has talked of running, Cahill leads 35 percent to 30 percent with 30 percent undecided. The margin of error is 4.9 points.

Here are updates from yesterday and today in our match-ups between John McCain and Barack Obama:

• Arizona: McCain 49, Obama 41. (Northern Arizona University)
• Arkansas: McCain 54, Obama 44. (Rasmussen)
• California: Obama 61, McCain 34. (Rasmussen)
• Colorado: Obama 50, McCain 46. (Rasmussen)
• Florida: Obama 50, McCain 43. (Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg); Obama 49, McCain 44. (Suffolk); Obama 47.2, McCain 46.9. (Zogby); Obama 51, McCain 47. (Rasmussen)
• Indiana: McCain 50.2, Obama 44. (Zogby)
• Iowa: Obama 52, McCain 42. (Marist)
• Louisiana: McCain 50.6, Obama 38.3. (Southeastern Louisiana University)
• Mississippi: McCain 53, Obama 45. (Rasmussen)
• Missouri: Obama 48.2, McCain 45.7. (Zogby); Obama 48, McCain 47. (Rasmussen)
• Montana: McCain 48, Obama 44. (NBC/Mason-Dixon)
• Nevada: Obama 48.2, McCain 44. (Zogby)
• New Hampshire: Obama 50, McCain 45. (Marist); Obama 55, McCain 39. (WMUR/UNH); Obama 50, McCain 39. (NBC/Mason-Dixon)
• New Jersey: Obama 53, McCain 38. (Strategic Vision)
• Nevada: Obama 50, McCain 46. (Rasmussen)
• North Carolina: Obama 49, McCain 48, Barr 1. (Public Policy Polling); Obama 49.7, McCain 46.4. (Zogby); McCain 49, Obama 48. (Rasmussen); Obama 47, McCain 47. (NBC/Mason-Dixon)
• Ohio: Obama 49, McCain 40. (Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg); Obama 49.7, McCain 45.1 (Zogby); Obama 49, McCain 45. (Rasmussen); Obama 49, McCain 45. (SurveyUSA)
• Oregon: Obama 57, McCain 38. (SurveyUSA)
• Pennsylvania: Obama 50, McCain 41. (Temple); Obama 53, McCain 46. (Rasmussen)
• Vermont: Obama 57, McCain 36. (Research 2000)
• Virginia: Obama 53, McCain 44. (Washington Post/ABC News); Obama 52, McCain 43. (SurveyUSA); Obama 52, McCain 44.8. (Zogby); Obama 51, McCain 47. (Rasmussen)
• Washington State: Obama 55, McCain 34. (University of Washington)
• Wisconsin: Obama 50, McCain 41. (Strategic Vision)
• West Virginia: McCain 50.3, Obama 40.4. (Zogby)

Also, check out CQ Politics Presidential election maps which give you four different ways to look at the race, including one that lets you build your own electoral scenario.

Here are the states we're updating today in our round-up of general election match-ups between John McCain and Barack Obama:

• Minnesota: Obama 50, McCain 44. (SurveyUSA)

• Missouri: McCain 45, Obama 44. (Suffolk University)

• New Hampshire: Obama 50, McCain 43. (Research 2000)

• North Carolina: Obama 51, McCain 44. (Public Policy Polling)

• Ohio: Obama 51, McCain 42. (Suffolk University)

• Pennsylvania: Obama 48, McCain 40. (Susquehanna)

• Virginia: Obama 51, McCain 45. (SurveyUSA); Obama 54, McCain 44. (Rasmussen)

Also, check out CQ Politics Presidential election maps which give you four different ways to look at the race, including one that lets you build your own electoral scenario.

Here are the states we're updating today in our round-up of general election match-ups between John McCain and Barack Obama:

• Colorado: Obama 52, McCain 43. (Quinnipiac/WSJ/Washington Post); Obama 47, McCain 43. (Suffolk University)
• Florida: Obama 51, McCain 46. (Fox News/Rasmussen)
• Michigan: Obama 54, McCain 38. (Quinnipiac/WSJ/Washington Post)
• Minnesota: Obama 51, McCain 40. (Quinnipiac/WSJ/Washington Post)
• Missouri: Obama 50, McCain 47. (Fox/Rasmussen); Obama 48, McCain 46. (Public Policy Polling)
• North Carolina: Obama 49, McCain 46. (Public Policy Polling); Obama 48, McCain 48. (Rasmussen)
• Ohio: Obama 49, McCain 47. (Fox/Rasmussen); Obama 50, McCain 45. (SurveyUSA)
• Pennsylvania: Obama 51, McCain 38 (Muhlenberg); Obama 55, McCain 40. (SurveyUSA)
• Wisconsin: Obama 54, McCain 37. (Quinnipiac/WSJ/Washington Post)
• Virginia: Obama 50, McCain 47. (Fox/Rasmussen)

Also, check out CQ Politics Presidential election maps which give you four different ways to look at the race, including one that lets you build your own electoral scenario.

Today we update Pennsylvania, California, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, Ohio, Nevada and Minnesota in our round-up of general election match-ups between John McCain and Barack Obama. As with the latest national polls, the movement in these polls and the ones we posted yesterday appears to be mostly towards Obama. A Time/CNN/Opinion Research poll said McCain was struggling in states that President Bush won in 2004 such as North Carolina, Ohio, and Indiana.

Visit our Presidential election maps which give you four different ways to look at the race, including one that lets you build your own electoral scenario.

Here's a summary of our race ratings categories. Use this link for background on how we arrive at them

• No Clear Favorite, for races that are deemed to close to call.
• Leans Democratic and Leans Republican, for highly competitive races in which the named party is perceived to have at least a slight edge, but in which an upset is a highly plausible possibility.
• Democrat Favored and Republican Favored, for races in which the named party has a clearer advantage and is likely to win, though an upset cannot be completely ruled out.
• Safe Democratic and Safe Republican, for races in which the named party is viewed as certain to win.

Today we update New Hampshire, Maine, North Carolina and Virginia in our round-up of state Senate race polls.

To keep up with our race ratings, you can also go to our Senate Races to Watch page. Here's a summary of the categories:

• No Clear Favorite, for races that are deemed to close to call.

• Leans Democratic and Leans Republican, for highly competitive races in which the named party is perceived to have at least a slight edge, but in which an upset is a highly plausible possibility.

• Democrat Favored and Republican Favored, for races in which the named party has a clearer advantage and is likely to win, though an upset cannot be completely ruled out.

• Safe Democratic and Safe Republican, for races in which the named party is viewed as certain to win.