Massachusetts voters expect Martha Coakley (D) to be elected to the U.S. Senate in the January 2010 special election, but prefer Joe Kennedy (D) to succeed his uncle, the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, according to a Suffolk poll.
However, with Kennedy not running, Coakley leads the Democratic primary field with 47% support, followed by Rep. Mike Capuano (D) at 9%, Rep. Stephen Lynch (D) at 6% and Alan Khazei (D) at 3%.
Of course, Lynch also announced he would not run while the poll was in the field.
Voters also said they support a move to allow the governor to appoint an interim senator, by a 55% to 41% margin.