Poll: Michael Bloomberg with a double-digit lead over rival

In a controversial bid for a third term, Independent Mayor Michael Bloomberg has a strong lead over rival New York City Comptroller William Thompson.

A new Quinnipiac University poll released on Thursday shows that Independent Mayor Michael Bloomberg is holding a strong 16-point lead over Democratic opponent William Thompson, according to CNN. Bloomberg is gaining support from everyone on the political spectrum. Seventy-five per cent of Republicans favor Bloomberg, Independents; 61 per cent and Democrats at 46 per cent. Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said in a press release, "Comptroller William Thompson, fresh from a big Democratic primary win, got no post-primary bounce in his campaign to unseat Mayor Michael Bloomberg. He has a 16-point mountain to climb and less than six weeks to do it." The poll goes on to further show that among white voters, Bloomberg has an overwhelming support of 62 to 26 per cent. However, African-American constituents back Thompson with 53 to 37 per cent. Furthermore, majority of respondents approve of Bloomberg’s performance with 69 per cent giving him an approval rating, according to Bloomberg News. In August, another Quinnipiac telephone survey showed Bloomberg with 15 points. In 2005, Bloomberg financed his own re-election campaign with $80 million, reports Bloomberg News, while this year he has spent 36.7 million. This Quinnipiac University survey was conducted between September 16 and 21 with 1,513 telephone respondents. It contains a sampling error of +/- 2.5 percentage points.