Poll: Stringer Leads NYC Comptroller's Race With 50 Percent
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A new poll shows Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer leading with 50 percent of likely Democratic primary voters in the New York City comptroller's race.
Former Gov. Eliot Spitzer has 43 percent in the Quinnipiac University poll.
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Thirteen percent of respondents who named a candidate said there's still a "good chance'' they'll change their minds by Tuesday's primary.
Poll: Stringer Leads NYC Comptroller's Race With 50 Percent
"Borough President Scott Stringer has the momentum as he overcomes a huge publicity blitz by former Gov. Eliot Spitzer," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "He's not home free, but he looks to be on the plus side of the racial split with a big white vote offsetting the almost as big black vote for Spitzer."
A Sept. 4 Quinnipiac poll showed Stringer with 47 percent and Spitzer with 45 percent.
Despite his front-runner status, Stringer said he is approaching election day with a cautious attitude.
"This pedal's to the metal, and we're going to 9 o'clock Tuesday night," he told Lamb. "I'm going to be in every neighborhood in the five boroughs. We're just walking and working and getting out that vote. Look, this is an important election for the city of New York, and there's a lot of change happening."
During a campaign event in Chinatown, Spitzer said he does not buy into polling.
"If you're in this business, you've got to understand what the public thinks. You've got to understand what the public needs," he said. "The problem with our politicians is they take polls. They don't take positions because they're gutless. They're spineless. I'm not a voice of the establishment. I'm the voice of the people."
The latest poll was conducted from Friday through Sunday. It surveyed 782 likely Democratic primary voters. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
Polls in the five boroughs are open Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
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