De Blasio Is Down but Hardly Out

SOUTH POLL “It’s just difficult to beat incumbents.” De Blasio took his pitch to Orthodox Jewish voters although he’s not losing sleep over the upcoming race even as the poll numbers indicate a downward trend (Photo: AFP/ IMAGEBANK)

T he New York City mayoral election kicked into high gear last week as Mayor Bill de Blasio applied for public matching funds ahead of the September 12 primaries. The incumbent mayor is almost guaranteed a second term but recent polls suggest that voters are not overwhelmingly satisfied with his job performance.

According to a recent Quinnipiac poll only 50% of respondents approve of de Blasio’s job performance and voters are split (46%–46%) on whether the mayor deserves reelection. A NY1/Baruch College City poll released at the end of last month showed de Blasio defeating his opponents by double digits.

“Leave out the one big question — the reelection matchup — and this is a pretty bad poll for Mayor Bill de Blasio ” Maurice Carroll assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll opined.