New Yorkers aren’t so sure Bill de Blasio will keep his campaign promises if he gets to City Hall, but they’re still planning to vote for him in droves, a new poll shows.
A Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday found practically an even split when voters were asked if the Democratic front-runner would be able to fulfill his campaign pledges.
It also showed de Blasio with a monumental 65-26 percent lead over Republican Joe Lhota ahead of next Tuesday’s election.
“They’ll vote — big — for Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, but they’re skeptical about those big campaign promises,” pollster Maurice Carroll said of the survey in which 42 percent believe the Democrat will be able to keep his pledges and 43 percent say he won’t.
The poll showed that 74 percent of Republicans, 59 percent of independent voters, and even 53 percent of Democrats doubt de Blasio will make good on everything he has committed to accomplishing.
“De Blasio’s made some pretty big promises. Income inequality? That’s a big, big issue,” Carroll said.
In addition to spreading the wealth, de Blasio is calling for raising the city’s income tax on those earning $500,000 or more to fund universal pre-K classes.
Albany would have to sign off on the higher tax, and state leaders have already called the proposal dead on arrival.
Gov. Cuomo has said he likes the pre-K concept, except for the part about hiking taxes.
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver pointed out that 2014 is an election year for state lawmakers and a tax increase would be a non-starter.
Lhota has trailed by as much as 50 points in public polls and, despite a hard-hitting ad questioning whether de Blasio would be soft on crime, has yet to significantly close the gap.
In fact, voters by a 45-40 percent margin described Lhota’s message as too negative.
But Lhota kept hammering away on the theme Wednesday.
He released a new ad featuring Democratic supporters and pledged to continue the NYPD’s controversial stop-and-frisk program, noting that it has resulted in consistent crime decreases here over the last 12 years.
“Let’s be safe with Joe Lhota and not sorry with Bill de Blasio,” declared the ad.
Meanwhile, de Blasio got a last-minute endorsement from the League of Conservation Voters.