Politics & Government

First Poll Gives de Blasio Monster Lead on Lhota

In the first poll released since the major party mayoral candidates were settled, Democrat Bill de Blasio holds a huge lead over his Republican rival Joe Lhota.

The Wall Street/NBC 4 New York/Marist Poll was released Wednesday morning, and showed de Blasio had a 65 percent to 22 percent advantage.

The poll also showed de Blasio was more popular among Republicans than Lhota was among Democrats, with one quarter of Republicans saying they preferred de Blasio to their own party's choice.

The bad news for Lhota didn't end there. His favorability ratings among those polled actually showed that more voters — 41 percent — rated him unfavorable than favorable — 29 percent. That's a tough draw for a candidate who hasn't held major elected office. 

Unsurprisingly, the economy — in particular jobs — and education were the two biggest issues for voters polled. 

The survey was conducted Sept. 15 and 16 among more than 1,200 residents of New York City. 


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