A new poll commissioned by the Democratic-aligned House Majority PAC and the Service Employees International Union found former Rep. Dan Maffei (D) led freshman Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle (R) by 4 points — within the margin of error — in a recent poll of the Empire State’s newly configured 24th district.

In a horse-race matchup, Maffei pulled 44 percent, Buerkle got 40 percent and Green Party candidate Ursula Rozum received 5 percent. Eleven percent of the likely voters surveyed said they were undecided.

According to a polling memo, Maffei’s lead increased to 9 points when “balanced, positive paragraphs are read about both candidates.” But those paragraphs weren’t included in the memo.

The poll, conducted by the Democratic firm Normington, Petts & Associates, found 37 percent had a positive view of Maffei, while 31 percent had a negative view of him. Thirty-five percent had a positive view of Buerkle, while 36 percent had a negative view of her.

The poll, conducted by live telephone interviews to landlines and cellphones, surveyed 400 likely voters in the district from July 16-18. The margin of error was 4.9 points.

Buerkle squeaked out a victory in 2010, unseating Maffei. An April GOP poll of the district found her leading Maffei. Roll Call rates the race a Tossup.

Read the memo here:

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