DCCC Poll: Democrat Ahead in Key New York House Race
Upstate New York race in the 19th District is expected to be competitive
Updated 2:29 p.m. | A poll commissioned by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee showed a hotly competitive race in New York’s 19th District, a top target for Democrats hoping to win back the House.
Freshman Republican Rep. John J. Faso trailed Democratic lawyer Antonio Delgado by 7 points in the poll. Forty-nine percent of respondents supported Delgado, while 42 percent backed the incumbent.
The 19th District in the Hudson Valley swung from supporting former President Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012 to backing President Donald Trump by 7 points in 2016. Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates the race Tilts Republican.
The poll, conducted by the DCCC, surveyed 545 likely general election voters through a mix of live cell phone and automated landline phone interviews. It was conducted on June 27-28, immediately after Delgado won a crowded Democratic primary on June 26, and had a margin of error 4.2 points.
Forty-five percent of those surveyed viewed Delgado favorably, compared to 30 percent who had a favorable view of Faso. Trump’s job approval rating was at 39 percent, while 53 percent of those surveyed disapproved.
Delgado had the largest war chest of the seven Democrats who ran in the primary, and he outraised Faso in a few fundraising periods. He has particularly focused on Faso’s vote last year for the GOP plan to repeal much of the 2010 health care law.
Delgado has recently come under scrutiny for his work as a rapper after he went to law school. The New York Post detailed provocative language in his rap album, including his use of the n-word. Delgado responded to the newspaper by saying the article detailed a “willful and selective misreading of my work for political purposes.”
The National Republican Congressional Committee dismissed the DCCC poll in a statement Wednesday.
“Leave it to the DCCC to release a bogus poll just days after Antonio Delgado was exposed for recording disturbing and offensive rap lyrics,” NRCC spokesman Chris Martin said. “They know how painfully out of touch Delgado is with the district, and this is a desperate attempt to convince the media that his campaign is even remotely viable.”
Correction 1:35 p.m.: An earlier version of this report misstated when Delgado’s rap career began.
