BOSTON -- New England, site of Sen. John McCain's rousing New Hampshire win a month ago, could prove to be the lone bright spot for the Republican presidential contender when the region's five other states hold primaries on "Super Tuesday," a poll showed Monday.

But New England's tradition of favoring both moderate Republicans and liberal Democrats does not seem to be paying off for Bill Bradley, whose deficit to Democratic rival Vice President Al Gore in Super Tuesday primary states includes New England, according to recent polls.

"New England is tailor-made for John McCain, in that it's more moderate than the rest of the country, and has a lot of independent voters," said Brown University Political Science Professor Darrell West.

A Reuters/MSNBC poll released on Monday showed McCain with a wide 59-31 lead over Bush in Massachusetts, while Bush had overtaken McCain in neighboring Connecticut by 45-38, compared with a narrow 43-41 lead for McCain in Sunday's poll.

On the Democratic side, pundits agreed that Gore will likely win the five states in Tuesday's so-called "Yankee Primary," bolstering speculation that the former New Jersey senator could drop out of the contest after Tuesday.

"I don't think there's much doubt that Gore's going to sweep all five states," said University of New Hampshire political science professor Andy Smith.

Rhode Island, Maine and Vermont were not included in the poll, but observers said McCain is likely to win those states among Republican voters.

Combined, the five states account for 102 Republican delegates, one more than New York. The crucial winner-take-all California primary is worth 162 delegates.

The Reuters/MSNBC poll showed Bush with commanding leads in big Super Tuesday states California, Georgia and Ohio, with a narrow lead in New York.

In Connecticut, the Bush campaign is putting special emphasis on affluent Fairfield County, where a large chunk of the state's Republicans live, said Bush's Connecticut campaign manager Jay Malcynsky. Bush visited the state on Saturday.

"Obviously, in Fairfield County, the Bush family is very well known," he said. Bush's father, former president George Bush, grew up in the Fairfield County suburb of Greenwich.

The younger Bush went to college at Yale in New Haven.

"We're pleased that Bush appears to be peaking at the right time in Connecticut," Malcynsky said.

The McCain campaign is "cautiously optimistic" about its prospects in Connecticut on Tuesday, said state director Ben Davol. He said poll numbers may be misleading because they don't reflect that unaffiliated voters can switch to the Republican party until noon on Monday to vote in the primary.

In Massachusetts, the most populous New England state, McCain's lead appears comfortable, even though Bush has the backing of Gov. Paul Cellucci. But McCain state chairwoman Jean Inman said, "we're not taking anything for granted."