A new Marist poll of New York suggests that former Rep. Harold Ford (D-TN) made the right decision in not challenging Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) in the New York Democratic primary. In the latest numbers out today, Gillibrand has a wide and growing lead over Ford.
The latest numbers: Gillibrand 50%, Ford 19%. This is an improvement for Gillibrand from early February, when she led Ford by 44%-27%. The TPM Poll Average for this primary-that-wasn’t shows Gillibrand enjoying an advantage of 47.3%-17.4% over Ford.
The pollster’s analysis suggests that Ford’s brief flirtation with running for Senate against Gillibrand — notably doing so from her right — may have actually helped the incumbent, who has suffered from low name recognition and a lack of overall voter opinion since she was appointed to the office in January 2009: “Ford’s short-lived challenge to Gillibrand not only did her no harm, it may have even solidified her support among Democrats.”
In the general election against possible Republican opponents, Gillibrand trails former Gov. George Pataki by a 48%-45% margin, within the ±4% margin of error. Gillibrand leads New York Daily News publisher Mort Zuckerman by 59%-26%, and she leads former Port Authority Commissioner Bruce Blakeman by 58%-28%. This sample was completed a week ago, while the Democratic primary numbers listed above were collected yesterday.
In an appearance today on Morning Joe, Ford continued to criticize Gillibrand, and predicted a tough race for her. “I spent seven weeks traveling and listening and learning and I can assure you, voters don’t know the junior senator,” said Ford. “They can’t name a single positive outcome from her, which means one simple thing: She will be labeled for the failures of Washington, the failures of Albany.”
