Poll: Dem leads by 24 points in race to replace Louise Slaughter

The Democrat running to replace longtime former Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) holds a 24-point lead over his Republican opponent, according to a poll of the race released Wednesday.

The Siena College poll found that Joe Morelle (D) enjoys the support of 55 percent of likely voters in New York’s 25th District, while his opponent James Maxwell (R) trails behind at 31 percent.

{mosads}Maxwell’s poor performance in the poll is due largely to lack of name recognition, according to the pollsters, who note that the first-time candidate is mostly unknown to about two-thirds of the district’s likely voters.

Morelle, however, is a longtime Democratic assemblyman in the state and enjoys a favorability rating in the poll of 53 percent, while 17 percent of voters say they do not approve of the job he has done in the state’s general assembly.

The results were expected in the district, considered a safe Democratic bastion, but show signs of strong Democratic performance headed in to November’s midterm elections and cast doubt on President Trump’s prediction of a “red wave” of GOP victories.

“In the dog days of August, with 11 weeks still until election day, Morelle is in a strong position to win this open seat and keep it in the hands of the Democrats,” Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg said in a press release.

Democrats are hoping to win a net gain of 23 House seats this November to retake control of the lower chamber, while facing a two-seat gap in the Senate.

Siena College’s poll contacted 500 likely voters in New York’s 25th District between Aug. 15-19. The margin of error is 4.4 percentage points.