Dear Commons Community,

For the first time in this year’s Democratic primary race, New York City Public Advocate Bill de Blasio leads the field according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday.   As reported by the New York Daily News:

“Among likely Democratic voters, de Blasio took 30 percent of the vote, followed by City Council Speaker Christine Quinn at 24 percent, former comptroller Bill Thompson at 22 percent, former Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) at 10 percent, comptroller John Liu at 6 percent and former council member Sal Albanese at 1 percent. Another 7 percent was undecided.

De Blasio also held the lead in three potential runoff scenarios, beating Quinn by 54 percent to 38 percent, Thompson by 50 percent to 40 percent, and Weiner by a whopping 72 percent to 22 percent.

But voters’ choices are hardly set in stone: 34 percent, including 37 percent who backed de Blasio, said there was a good chance they’d change their minds.

While there was little evidence of a gender gap among voters, there was a “measurable racial divide,” according to the poll. Thompson led among black voters, with 39 percent, followed by de Blasio and Quinn. Among white voters, de Blasio led with 39 percent, followed by Quinn and then Thompson.

De Blasio’s 30 percent is the greatest share of the vote any candidate has attracted so far in polling on the race. In the weeks since Weiner’s numbers dropped after new revelations of his inappropriate behavior, most surveys have shown Quinn leading the field, although generally with support in the mid-20s, far below the 40 percent threshold needed to avoid a runoff.

The new poll found City Council Speaker Christine Quinn dropping to second, with 24%, followed by former city Controller Bill Thompson (22%). Former Rep. Anthony Weiner, battered by sexting scandal, fell to a distant fourth, at 10%.”

Tony