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News » Marist College Poll Finds Thompson Momentum Narrows Gap in Mayoral Race to 9 Points Among Registered

Posted on October 23, 2009

A Marist College poll released October 22 shows the gap between Democrat Bill Thompson and Republican Mike Bloomberg is narrrowing as Thompson has gained momentum with the two term mayor sinking below 50% for the first time.

Pollsters found that “among registered voters citywide, Bloomberg’s lead is 9 percentage points. He nets 47% of the electorate’s support to Thompson’s 38%.”

Thompson Trending Upward Among Registered Voters:

• Up 9 point among African American voters in 1 month, while Bloomberg support plummets 15 points from 37% to 22%;

• Up 3% among voters age 45 and under while Bloomberg drops 6 points;

• Up 6 points while Bloomberg down 12 points in Brooklyn;

• Bloomberg down 5 points in Queens and 4 points in The Bronx;

Independent Voters: Thompson +17% / Bloomberg -24% -- “Likely non-enrolled voters have moved toward Thompson. 48% would prefer to see Thompson in City Hall while 41% of these voters back Bloomberg.” This is a big shift since last month (September 21 Marist poll – one week after the Democratic Primary) when 65% said they supported Bloomberg, and 31% were behind Thompson.”

Bloomberg Job Approval Slides -15% Among Independent Voters -- “The mayor has continued to slide among non-enrolled voters. Currently, 50% believe the mayor is doing either an excellent or good job in office,” down 6% from September. “Two months prior to that, 65% of non-enrolled voters thought Bloomberg was doing an above average job in office.” The mayor’s approval rating has dropped 15 points in 3 months.

42% Less Likely To Vote for Bloomberg Due To Term Limits -- “The mayor’s decision to extend term limits from two to three terms does impact voters’ preferences. 42% say they are less likely to vote for the mayor because of his move to extend term limits compared with only 8% who are more likely to cast their ballot for Bloomberg because of it.”