Democrat Sharon Weston-Broome has a scant lead over Republican “Mack” Bodi White in the race to be Baton Rouge’s next mayor, according to a new poll released this morning by FuturePAC, the political action committee of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber.
But the poll, which was conducted by Impact Management Group, shows 10% of voters are still undecided, “suggesting that the race remains somewhat fluid,” BRAC says in a press release.
Weston-Broome has 30% of support in the poll, followed by White at 29%. The other 10 candidates in the race are not drawing support anywhere near those levels, according to the poll. Democrat C. Denise Marcelle came in third, with 11%, followed by Republican John Delgado, 9%; Republican R.J. “Smokie” Bourgeois, 4%; and independent Darryl Gissel, 3%. All other candidates either have 1% or no support.
If the results reflect how votes are actually cast during the Nov. 8 primary, no candidate would have the majority required to win the race and the top two candidates would advance to the Dec. 10 runoff.
“While these polling results indicate a basic tie among two frontrunners, they also strongly suggest the possibility of movement in the race once voters, particularly those currently undecided, begin to focus more closely on the candidates,” says Van Mayhall, FuturePAC board chairman, in a prepared statement.
The poll was conducted over a three-day period concluding on Oct. 5, and consisted of 302 likely voters, BRAC says. It has a margin of error of 5.63%. Of the poll participants, 52% were female and 52% identified themselves as Democrats. While 45% of respondents were white, 43% were black.
BRAC is hosting a mayoral forum on Tuesday evening from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Baton Rouge Magnet High School, 2825 Government St. Get complete details.
Read Business Report’s new cover story on the state of the mayoral race, and check out a Q&A with outgoing Mayor Kip Holden.
