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New York U.S. Senate: Clinton 65%, Spencer 28%
- Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton could earn a new term as one of New York's representatives to the United States Senate, according to the latest poll by the Siena Research Institute. 65 per cent of respondents would vote for the incumbent, while 28 per cent would support Republican challenger John Spencer.
A mid-October survey by the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion released by WNBC gave Rodham Clinton a 37-point edge over Spencer. Jeff Russell of the Libertarian Party and Howie Hawkins of the Green Party are also contending.
Rodham Clinton—a former first lady—was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2000, defeating Republican Rick Lazio by 12 percentage points. She has been mentioned as a potential presidential nominee in the 2008 election.
Spencer served as the mayor of Yonkers from 1995 to 2003, and was a member of the city's council from 1991 to 1995.
On Sept. 12, the two candidates won their respective primaries. Rodham Clinton defeated anti-war activist Jonathan Tasini with 83 per cent of the vote, while Spencer won in a contest against former Reagan administration official Kathleen McFarland with 60 per cent of the vote.
The senatorial election is scheduled for Nov. 7. No Republican has represented New York in the U.S. Senate since Alfonse D'Amato in 1999.
Polling Data
Election 2006 - New York U.S. Senate
Incumbent: Hillary Rodham Clinton (D)
Challengers: John Spencer (R), Jeff Russell (L), Howie Hawkins (G)
Clinton (D) | Spencer (R) | Date | Methodology | MofE | |
Siena Research Institute | 65% | 28% | Oct. 30-Nov. 1 | Phone, 500 LV | 4.4 |
Marist College | 67% | 30% | Oct. 16-18 | Phone, 475 LV | 4.5 |
Quinnipiac University | 65% | 30% | Oct. 11-16 | Phone, 1,053 LV | 3.0 |
Siena Research Institute | 59% | 32% | Oct. 9-12 | Phone, 620 LV | 3.9 |
Zogby International | 53% | 28% | Oct. 5-9 | Phone, 761 LV | 3.6 |
Quinnipiac University | 27% | 64% | Sept. 26-Oct. 1 | Phone, 1,627 RV | 2.4 |
CBS / NYT | 59% | 27% | Sept. 24-27 | Phone, 734 RV | 3.5 |
Siena | 62% | 33% | Sept. 13-14 | Phone, 625 LV | 4.0 |
LV: Likely voters
RV: Registered voters
Ad: Adults
MofE: Margin of error
Previous polls from this race