Statement on Tonight’s Siena Poll Results.

Jim McLaughlin, Professional Pollster, McLaughlin & Associates

October 29, 2009

“In spite of Andy Spano running the most negative campaign in Westchester history, 52 percent of Westchester voters are rejecting Spano. Spano is under the all important 50 percent threshold with the electorate. Spano’s negatives are 46 percent overall and a whopping 60 percent with independents. These findings make Spano unelectable to Westchester taxpayers. Clearly the momentum is on Rob Astorino side in the last week, and Astorino is well positioned to win this race.”

–Jim McLaughlin.

RNN Coverage:

Andy Spano (D/C/WF) holds slim lead over Rob Astorino (R/I): 48%-41%; Race is within margin of error, and undecided vote could tip race either way.

RNN Television (Regional News Network) and the Siena Research Institute have released the results of the only public poll in the race for Westchester County Executive, and Westchester County District Attorney.

The results were first made public on the network’s news/talk/opinion program Richard French Live Thursday night at 7 p.m.

The results in the County Executive race are particularly revealing, in that the lead is just 7 points in a county where Democrats hold a huge registration advantage (D: 46.6%; R: 25.5%), and where Spano defeated Astorino by more than 16 points in 2005.

Other areas of note within the poll: Spano, a 3-term incumbent, leads despite a high unfavorable rating (46%); Spano’s favorable/unfavorable split is even more pronounced among unaffiliated voters (34% favorable/60% unfavorable; unaffiliated voters make up 22.2% of the electorate in Westchester County); Astorino is within striking distance, even though nearly half of those polled (1/3 of all Republicans, as well) say they still don’t know enough about him to form an opinion.

Mr. McLaughlin has conducted polling for Mr. Astorino.