Preview: WAMU 88.5/Washington City Paper D.C. Primary Poll
In partnership with the Washington City Paper, WAMU 88.5 has conducted a poll of 802 registered Democrats in the District of Columbia to get a view of motivating issues in the upcoming mayoral primary and D.C. Council chair elections.
In partnership with the Washington City Paper, WAMU 88.5 has conducted a poll of 802 registered Democrats in the District of Columbia to get a view of motivating issues in the upcoming mayoral primary and D.C. Council chair elections. The poll was conducted from August 30 - September 1 by Public Policy Polling and has a margin of error of +/-3.5 percent. We have attempted to answer questions not only about how District residents may vote, but also about regional identity and lifestyle.
Fifty percent of the poll's respondents said they plan to support Vincent Gray for mayor, with 39 percent supporting incumbent Adrian Fenty. D.C. Councilmember Kwame Brown (D-At Large) had a strong lead over his competitors in the race for D.C. Council chair, with 48 percent of respondents saying they would vote for him "if the election were held today;" just 27 percent of respondents said they plan to support his closest competitor, Vincent Orange.
DCPS Chancellor Michelle Rhee is a major factor in the mayoral race, with 53 percent of respondents saying that Rhee was either "crucial" or "very important" in their decision for mayor.
On Thursday's show, we'll drill down into the mayoral contest through the lens of race, economics, and geography. We'll also examine "bicycle politics," and the persistent idea of D.C. as a "transient city." The data below represents a small sample of the full set of results, which we will publish here tomorrow.
| Leo Alexander | Sulaimon Brown | Adrian M. Fenty | Vincent C. Gray | Ernest E. Johnson | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1% | 0% | 39% | 50% | 1% | 9% |
| Kwame Brown | Dorothy Douglas | Vincent Orange | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|
| 48% | 7% | 27% | 18% |
| Male | Female |
|---|---|
| 43% | 57% |
| Fewer than 3 miles | 3-50 miles | More than 50 miles |
|---|---|---|
| 17% | 26% | 57% |
| Crucial | Very important | Somewhat important | Not at all important |
|---|---|---|---|
| 33% | 20% | 18% | 29% |
| Should be respected as "Mayor for Life" and celebrated as a civil rights hero | Should remain involved in politics as long as he likes and is re-elected | Should retire gracefully and go away from public life | Should still be in jail | Not sure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20% | 36% | 32% | 7% | 5% |
The most commonly cited poll to date is the Washington Post's "2010 D.C. Mayor's Race Poll" which sampled from August 19-26, 2010. The Post poll was a random sample of 1,277 adult residents, including 780 registered Democrats and adults who said they plan on registering as Democrats before the primary election.
