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Posted on 10/10/2002 6:06:25 AM PDT by BlackRazor
Poll: McCall ranks third upstate
By: James Franco October 10, 2002
ALBANY - Gubernatorial candidate H. Carl McCall has slipped into third place upstate, according to a poll released Wednesday by the Siena College Research Institute and The New York Report.
The same poll shows Gov. George E. Pataki with a 17 percent lead statewide over McCall, 43.2 percent to 26.1 percent; and a 32 percent lead over Independence Party candidate Tom Golisano, who came in with 11.3 percent. But, perhaps most disturbing to the McCall campaign is his 16.3 percent showing in upstate. Particularly when it is compared to the 20.4 percent of the voters who say they favor Golisano.
Pataki holds the lead upstate, with 44.1 percent. Nearly 15 percent of the voters upstate are still undecided with only 26 days left until the election, according to the poll.
"McCall's problem is a lack of support upstate and in the suburbs coupled with Pataki's strong showing in New York City," according to the Siena poll's narrative. "It is going to be a tough four weeks for McCall."
McCall spokeswoman Marissa Shorenstein said the camp is not concerned with the latest numbers, but that "as voters begin to focus on this race, they will respond favorably to Carl McCall's message of hope and opportunity."
She attributed the fact that McCall is being outspent by both camps, and in particular, "Tom Golisano has flooded the airways with commercials" as one reason behind the poll numbers.
"The election is four weeks away, which is a lifetime in politics," she added.
Golisano Campaign Manager Charles Halloran, however, said, "Tom's message of new jobs and opportunity scholarships is resonating."
He also took the opportunity to hammer away at Pataki's numbers, which, both upstate and statewide, are under 45 percent, according to the poll.
"It is sorry that a two-term governor who has been giving away billions to upstate can't pull above 44 percent ... I think that is pathetic," he said. "We are right where we want to be right now ... the goal is to be where we want to be four weeks from now."
According to a Quinnipiac College poll released last week, 35 percent of the likely upstate city votes and 49 percent of likely voters not living in the city would flip the switch for Pataki. McCall would get the vote of 32 percent of likely upstate city voters and 21 percent of those not living in the city. Golisano would get 29 percent of those living in upstate cities and 21 percent living in other areas.
The Quinnipiac poll also found that 50 percent of the upstate voters did not know enough about McCall to pull the lever for him.
The Siena poll did not consider likely voters, but only ensured that those 1,234 surveyed between Oct. 6 and Oct. 8 were registered voters and voted in the 2000 presidential election.
Siena also did not break out urban and suburban, or rural upstate voters. When only those who voted in the 1998 gubernatorial election are included in the survey, Pataki's lead drops to 13 percent.
It has been another tough week for McCall. Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings, Albany County Comptroller Mike Conners and Kingston Mayor James Sottile, all Democrats, threw their support behind Pataki. Last week it was "lettergate" - the discovery of over 60 letters McCall authored on comptroller letterhead promoting various people for jobs, including family members - that haunted McCall.
Other results from the Siena/New York Report poll include:
McCall with a three point lead over Pataki in New York City, 39.2 percent to 36.2 percent.
Pataki with a 32.3 percent lead over McCall in the downstate suburbs, 52.2 percent to 20.5 percent.
In the race for state Comptroller, Alan Hevesi holds a 42 percent to 24 percent lead over John Faso with 33 percent undecided.
Attorney General Eliot Spitzer had a commanding 58.5 percent to 15.3 percent lead over Republican challenger Dora Irizarry.
Meanwhile, Republicans hammered on McCall Wednesday, accusing him of "running away from his record" by not making an appearance in upstate New York in a week. "I have been on two upstate tours hitting 23 counties," said Lt. Gov. Mary Donohue at a Capitol press conference Wednesday.
"Carl McCall is not interested in upstate or he would be here, not at a fund-raiser in Philadelphia."
She countered accusations by her lieutenant governor candidate counterpart, Dennis Mehiel, that Pataki was "buying the election" by distributing over $4 billion of taxpayer-funded grant money across the state, a 20 percent increase in distributions when compared to last year.
"That's outrageous," she said. "We are dealing with a post-911 era ... they can't have it both ways, they say we need to do more because of 911, and we are doing it and they criticize us for that ... that is unfortunate and the voters deserve better."
The McCall camp said, unlike Pataki, the comptroller has been upstate his entire tenure.
"Carl McCall has not only spent the last year, but his entire career visiting communities across the state, visiting with people and listening to their concerns," Shorenstein said. "And he will continue to visit upstate as he has for the last nine years as comptroller."
If you want on or off my poll ping list, let me know!
I've done a lot of work in upstate New York, and many regions up there have enormous potential. New York really needs a leader who can figure out how to harness all that potential by shaping a good business climate. The state has institutional and regulatory hurdles that make economic development extremely cumbersome.
From the Cliche Hall of Fame for Candidates about to get Stomped on Election Day!
At least she didn't invoke the tried-and-true: "Our polls show this race is a dead heat!"
The culture of the state is such that it will not accept a leader like that, I think, because eliminating the regulatory, institutional, and fiscal hurdles to business growth means the end of a free ride for many, many people. OTOH, if you find such a person, let me know, so that I may be sure to vote for him/her ;)
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No, that's not quite right. Let's try that again...
McCall spokeswoman Marissa Shorenstein said the camp is not concerned with the latest numbers, but that "as voters begin to focus on this race, they will respond favorably to Carl McCall's message of hope and opportunity."
There. Much better.
Not quite right... Needs to be tightened up a bit...
McCall spokeswoman Marissa Shorenstein said the camp is not concerned with the latest numbers, but that "as voters begin to focus on (t)his race, they will respond favorably to Carl McCall's message of hope and opportunity."
There, that should appeal to the Core Democratstm
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