A Quinnipiac poll released Tuesday showed Public Advocate Bill de Blasio leading his rivals in the crucial Sept. 10 Democratic primary of the New York City mayoral election with 43 percent of the vote. It is the first major poll to show de Blasio above the 40 percent threshhold necessary to avoid a runoff with the second place finisher.
The poll found former Comptroller Bill Thompson in second place with 20 percent and City Council speaker Christine Quinn in third with 18 percent.
De Blasio was up seven percent from a previous Quinnipiac poll, which was released Wednesday. Thompson stayed the same and Quinn was down down 3 percent. Other polls have shown de Blasio with a more modest lead. Polls in the race have varied wildly over the past few months. Prior to a mid-August surge by de Blasio, Quinn had been the frontrunner.
