A new poll of the race for mayor has Controller William Thompson within 8 percentage points of Mayor Bloomberg, with 5% undecided.
The poll was conducted for WABC-TV by SurveyUSA, from Saturday through Monday. It shows Bloomberg with 51%, Thompson with 43% and undecided at 5%.
That's a closer spread than the Marist Poll conducted late last month that had Bloomberg ahead by 11 points--50% to 39%, with 10% undecided.
The poll, which has a 4.2% margin of error, had Thompson's Democratic campaign crowing: "While Mike’s numbers have remained stagnant, Thompson’s numbers continue to rise, even though he has spent a fraction on advertising ($300,000) compared to Bloomberg’s multi-million dollar public relations blitz."
SurveyUSA reported that Bloomberg leads in Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island, but Thompson is ahead in Brooklyn and the Bronx. Thompson, who is out to become the city's second African-American mayor, leads among black voters, while Bloomberg lead among whites, Hispanics and Asians. The poll surveyed 1,000 adult New Yorkers, including 561 likely voters, which is what the 8-point spread is based on.
Asked about the poll, Thompson noted that he has repeatedly said the mayoral race "is far from over," and that voters are tired of eight years of a Republican mayor who hasn't represented the interests of all New Yorkers. "They're ready for change, they're tired of Mike Bloomberg," he said.
Here's an update with comment from: Bloomberg's senior campaign spokesman Howard Wolfson noted that the pollsters, in asking who they would vote for if the election were today rotated the candidates' names. He said that methodology "skews the result."
"Survey USA is often inaccurate and these numbers are out of whack with other public polls and the reality of this race," he added.
