Bill de Blasio opens a major lead in NYC mayoral race: poll
NEW YORK — With less than two weeks before the election, Bill de Blasio has surged into a significant lead in the city’s Democratic mayoral primary, according to a new poll.
A Quinnipiac University survey released on Wednesday found 36 percent of likely Democratic primary voters are backing de Blasio for mayor — putting the public advocate within close range of the 40 percent threshold he would need to avoid a run-off election.
That’s a 15-point lead over Christine Quinn, the City Council speaker who had been considered the front-runner to replace outgoing Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Quinn, with 21 percent support, is now statistically tied for second place with former Comptroller Bill Thompson, who registered at 20 percent in the poll.
The other contenders were trailing in single digits, including former Rep. Anthony Weiner (8 percent), current Comptroller John Liu (6 percent) and former City Council member Sal Albanese (1 percent). According to the poll, 8 percent remain undecided in the race. The poll reported a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
The poll marks a remarkable turnaround for de Blasio, a left-leaning Brooklyn politician whose candidacy had been virtually written off in mid-July, when a Quinnipiac poll found him in fourth place with only 15 percent support.
But de Blasio has surged in the polls in recent weeks, as he has staked out strong positions on issues such as the city’s controversial “stop and frisk” measure that allowed police officers to randomly search people. A federal judge threw out the measure earlier this month, arguing police were using the rule to unfairly target minorities.
De Blasio has continued to campaign on the issue, running ads that feature his multiracial family, including his 15-year-old son, Dante.
The spots appear to be helping de Blasio among black voters, who make up about 30 percent of the city’s voting electorate. According to Quinnipiac, 34 percent of black voters are backing de Blasio. That’s a 9-point lead over Thompson, who is the only black candidate in the race, and a 19-point lead over Quinn.
He also leads Quinn among female voters, 30 to 25 percent.
