Freshman Rep. Nan Hayworth (R-NY) holds a 7-point lead over her Democratic challenger in New York’s 18th District, according to a poll from Siena Research Institute released Friday.
The poll shows Hayworth, a tea party-backed candidate who was swept into office by the Republican wave two years ago, leading Democrat Sean Patrick Maloney among likely voters in the district 49 percent to 42 percent.
A former aide to Elliot Spitzer and Bill Clinton, Maloney has gained ground on Hayworth since the previous Siena poll a month ago. In that poll, Hayworth led by 13 points, but there was some indication that Working Families Party (WFP) candidate Lary Weissmann was siphoning votes from Maloney at the time. Weissmann is no longer running, and the WFP has since endorsed Maloney.
The PollTracker Average currently shows Hayworth holding a roughly 5-point lead over Maloney.
