New York – A stunning new poll out today shows controversial mega-millionaire Buffalo builder Carl Paladino has caught up with former Long Island U.S. Rep. Rick Lazio and could beat him in Tuesday’s GOP primary for governor.
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The Siena College Research Institute survey found the hard-charging Paladino, who has vowed to turn state government “upside down,” trailing Lazio by just one percentage point, 42-43 percent, among likely GOP voters, a dramatic change from a Siena poll last month that showed Paladino trailing Lazio, 43-30 percent.
The cash-challenged Lazio, who has made opposition to the controversial Ground Zero Islamic center a centerpiece of his campaign and is backed by such GOP establishment figures as former Mayor Giuliani and former Gov. Pataki, has repeatedly refused to debate Paladino, or even utter his name.
Paladino, a political neophyte, has aggressively courted Tea Party activists and has waged a $2 million outsider campaign built around the famous line, “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore,” taken from the movie “Network.”
“A heavier than normal Republican turnout upstate will likely hand the nomination to Paladino, who leads upstate 53-32 percent, while a heavier than normal downstate suburban turnout will likely make Lazio the Republican nominee, as he leads there 55-30 percent,” said Siena pollster Steve Greenberg.
“Lazio also leads 53-33 percent in New York City, which traditionally produces a smaller vote than any region in a Republican primary,” Greenberg continued.
The winner of Tuesday’s primary will face Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate, in the Nov. 2 elections.
Meanwhile, a second Siena poll of likely Democratic voters found Manhattan Sen. Eric Schneiderman with a small, 25-23 percent, lead over Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice in the five-way Democratic primary battle for attorney general.
Wall St. lawyer and former Naval officer Sean Coffey was a distant third at 13 percent followed by Westchester Assemblyman Richard Brodsky, seven percent, and onetime Eliot Spitzer aide and state Insurance Supt. Eric Dinallo, four percent.
A large 29 percent of Democrats said they still didn’t know whom they would support.
The poll found Schneiderman holding a 38-19 percent lead over Rice in New York City, with all three other candidates with just single digit support.
Rice was ahead of Schneiderman with a similar, 35-18 percent, lead in the suburbs while upstate Coffey led Rice, 22-20 percent, with the other candidates in single digits – and Schneiderman finishing last with just four percent.
Schneiderman, the most liberal candidate in the race, led Rice among Jewish voters by 22 percent.
Rice, who had been expected to benefit from a strong women’s vote, was tied, 24-24 percent, among female Democrats while Schneiderman led among men, 26-20 percent.
The winner of the Democratic primary will face Staten Island District Attorney Dan Donovan, the GOP attorney general candidate, in November.
So the way to read this story is like this: The press wants Lazio to lose because he would have a much better chance against the libs. It is the responsibility of registered Republicans to vote for the best candidate – the most Conservative candidate – which in NY doesn’t mean much.
Lazio has no chance to win at all
The other one also has very slim chances but maybe money could make him win like blumberg
To bad levi isn’t the candidate he would have a chance of wining
Lazio has never won anything and is a perenial loser. He cannot garner any support at all and will run a lackluster campaign as usual . Palladino can get the fed up voters and really gain enough momentum to beat Cuomo the second .Vote for Paladino,the only candidate with any shot at beating 4 years of another Cuomo .
Paladino is a conservative that can beat Cuomo. Lazio is a lackluster candidate with zero fire in his belly. It is IMPOSSIBLE for Lazio to beat Cuomo, but Paladino’s fighting spirit may earn him victory over Cuomo.