Could McCain win Massachusetts?

    A shocking new poll in the super-Democratic state of Massachusetts shows Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton could be in trouble there if she faces Republican John McCain in the 2008 presidential race.

    McCain draws 44 percent to Clinton's 43 - a statistical tie - in liberal lion Ted Kennedy's home state, the Rasmussen Reports poll found. Clinton's surprisingly weak showing comes despite the fact that Massachusetts voters say they'd prefer to vote for a Democrat in 2008 by an overwhelming ratio of 53 to 22 percent.

    "It's hard to think of a scarier scenario for Democrats than Massachusetts being a tossup state in 2008. Even George McGovern [who lost 49 states in 1972] carried the Bay State," said independent pollster Scott Rasmussen.

    Al Gore does no better than Clinton.

    "It's not clear whether these results tell us more about the weakness of Clinton and Gore or about the strength of John McCain as a potential candidate. It's probably a bit of both," Rasmussen said. He noted candidates look more partisan as elections heat up, so it's unlikely that McCain could actually win the Democratic state - but it's a big worry for Clinton that he even looks competitive.