ALERT – NEW MASSACHUSETTS POLL – AT 11:27 A.M. ET:  Reader Zach Hafer alerts us to a new American Research Group poll:

Republican Scott Brown leads Democrat Martha Coakley 48% to 45% in the special Massachusetts US Senate race to replace Senator Ted Kennedy in a telephone survey conducted January 12-14 among 600 likely voters in Massachusetts saying they will definitely vote in the special election on January 19.

Brown leads Coakley 94% to 1% among registered Republicans and he leads 58% to 37% among unenrolled voters. Coakley leads Brown 71% to 20% among registered Democrats. A total of 8% of Democrats and 5% of Republicans remain undecided.

COMMENT:  A word of caution.  We report this poll because it's news, and because the numbers seem generally to be in line with other polls.  However, there is some dispute in political circles about ARG's transparency and methodology.  We'll check the final election result against ARG's numbers and draw our own conclusions.  Margin of error is four percent.

January 16, 2010