N.Y. DAILY NEWS
Dante de Blasio’s Afro hairstyle — which has been the subject of fascination and admiration — became an issue after dad Bill’s New York mayoral campaign made it the focus of a new social media blitz, urging supporters to tweet the hashtag #GoWithTheFro, to build momentum for the Democrat. De Blasio already has featured son in two television ads.
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N.Y. TIMES
Frustration with New York City’s unaffordability and its aggressive police tactics is elevating Bill de Blasio, once dismissed as a left-leaning long shot, into the lead of the Democratic mayoral primary field, according to a poll by The New York Times and Siena College.
. Christine C. Quinn, the longtime front-runner in the nomination contest, is now lagging far behind Mr. de Blasio and struggling to connect with members of her own party: forty-five percent of likely Democratic voters view her unfavorably.
With 11 days remaining until the primary, the new survey shows a drastically reshaped race as a broad cross-section of voters embraces Mr. de Blasio’s candidacy. It found that 32 percent of likely Democratic voters supported Mr. de Blasio, who is the city’s elected public advocate, compared with 18 percent for William C. Thompson Jr., the former comptroller, and 17 percent for Ms. Quinn, the speaker of the City Council.
Mr. de Blasio’s campaign, fueled by a relentless focus on economic disparity and a searing critique of the Bloomberg administration, has transcended the city’s traditional demographic divisions: he is drawing higher levels of support from men and women, older and younger, than any of his rivals. He has won the backing of those who think the city is headed in the right direction and those convinced it is on the wrong track.
With so little time left in the primary, Mr. de Blasio’s commanding lead will quite likely force his Democratic rivals to recalibrate their strategies, intensify their attacks and seek to land decisive blows against him during the final televised debate next week.
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As voters prepare for a change in City Hall, the poll shows that Democrats remain deeply conflicted over the state of the city: they are evenly split over whether they approve or disapprove of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s job performance, and over whether the city is headed in the right or wrong direction.... it is [deBlasio's] liberal views on the high cost of living in the city — captured by his slogan of “a tale of two cities” — that have resonated deeply: 29 percent say Mr. de Blasio would do the best job of making the city affordable, compared with 19 percent for Mr. Thompson and 15 percent for Ms. Quinn.
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A new poll from the Quinnipiac University polling institute shows the race for city controller is now in a dead heat with Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and former Gov. Eliot Spitzer each drawing 46% of the vote— after Spitzer enjoyed a 56%-to-37% edge just two weeks ago.
Stringer’s surge followed endorsements by the city’s three daily newspapers and the start of an ad blitz against his better-known rival.Stringer has also been campaigning heavily in black neighborhoods, apparently with some success. The poll found Spitzer’s advantage among black Democrats dwindling, from 68% support two weeks ago to just 52% now.
“The way we’ve approached the office is gaining traction with voters,” Stringer said. He defended the anonymous mailer, which shows an unflattering picture of Spitzer grinning and a picture of jail bars with hands poking out. “It’s his record and he’ll have to live with it,” Stringer said.