Poll: Bill de Blasio Takes Lead in NYC Mayor Race
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Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images)(NEW YORK) — Public advocate Bill de Blasio claimed the top spot in the Democratic primary race for New York City mayor, according to poll results released Wednesday.
The survey showed de Blasio with 36 percent of likely voters, compared to City Council Speaker Christine Quinn at 21 percent and former City Comptroller William Thompson with 20 percent of supporters.
The poll results, released by Quinnipiac University, comes 13 days before the primary election.
De Blasio came in at fourth place among candidates a month ago, edged out by early front-runners like Quinn and former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner.
As Weiner’s numbers continue to plunge, de Blasio nears the 40 percent threshold needed to avoid a runoff. Weiner is currently supported by 8 percent of likely voters, according to the survey.
Maurice Caroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said nearly two-thirds of voters want a new direction by the next mayor. Only 25 percent of voters want to continue in the direction Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been leading.
“The political cliche, that the most liberal candidate wins the Democratic primary in New York, seems to be alive and well,” Caroll said in a statement. “New ideas, like his tax-the-rich proposal, win big for de Blasio.”
The poll surveyed 602 likely Democratic voters from Aug. 22 to 27. Some participants were not fully committed to their choices, with nearly one-third saying there was a “good chance” they’d change their minds by the primary election in September.
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