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A new poll released Tuesday shows Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., receiving a slight boost at the top of the ticket and pulling into a statistically-insignificant lead over Democrat Elizabeth Warren in their closely-watched race. The poll, conducted by MassINC Polling Group for WBUR-FM in Boston, shows Brown turning a 4-point deficit a week and a half ago into a 3-point lead now; both polls showed the race within the margin of error.

Brown's marginal rise appears to be a result of the boost former Gov. Mitt Romney received following his strong debate performance last week. Romney is still virtually certain to lose Massachusetts, but he now trails by 16 points in the new poll, a significant improvement from his 28-point deficit in late September. President Obama now leads Romney, 52 percent to 36 percent.

That has prompted Brown's 3-point lead over Warren, 48 percent to 45 percent. Five percent of likely voters are undecided. In late September, Warren led, 49 percent to 45 percent.

Despite contentious debates and tough attack ads, both candidates' image ratings remain unchanged from the previous poll. Fifty-four percent of likely voters view Brown favorably, compared to 31 percent unfavorably. Warren's are slightly worse -- 47 percent favorable, 38 percent unfavorable -- but virtually identical to her ratings in late September.