http://66.225.205.104/1027mayorpoll.mp3
A poll released Tuesday shows that Democrat Anthony Foxx and Republican John Lassiter are in a dead heat in a race to become the next mayor of Charlotte. The poll shows both have 45 percent of the vote, with only 9 percent undecided. WFAE's Greg Collard reports. Public Policy Polling of Raleigh conducts voter surveys throughout the country. The firm's Tom Jensen says the race for Charlotte mayor is unusual. "It's kind of refreshing to see a race where people are deciding who they like more instead of who they like least," Jensen says. That's right. Refreshing. "Only 19 percent of voters in the city have an unfavorable opinion of John Lassister, and only 18 percent have an unfavorable opinion of Anthony Foxx. So, there's very little ill will toward either of the candidates," he adds. The poll shows Foxx has the strongest support from young voters and African-Americans. 80 percent of black voters support Foxx, and as do 57 percent of voters under 29. Lassiter is strongest among whites and senior citizens. 63 percent of whites support Lassister; while support is 61 percent among voters 65 and older. Public Policy Polling is a Democratic polling firm that's gained a reputation for reliable non-partisan polling. It usually only follows races of national interest, but it sees the Charlotte election as a test case to see if Democrats can turn last year's national success into victories at the local leve "The Obama coalition really hasn't remained engaged in Charlotte or across the country. Obama took the city by about 30 points last year, but those planning to vote for mayor this year only support Obama by 8 points," Jensen says. "So, it's clear there are a whole lot of Obama Wave voters who came out last year who aren't going to vote for mayor this year." For local elections, Jensen says voters typically skew white and old. And that would favor Lassiter. Note: The poll was conducted Oct. 23-26. The margin of error is 4.3 percent.