Clinton-Lazio Senate Race Locked in Dead Heat
Published on Wednesday, June 07, 2000.

U.S. Rep. Rick Lazio has picked up where New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani left off -- locked in a neck and neck race with First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton in their U.S. Senate campaign, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. Rep. Lazio has 44 percent to Mrs. Clinton's 44 percent.

Mrs. Clinton had 44 percent to Mayor Giuliani's 43 percent in a May 16 poll by the independent Quinnipiac University.

Among New York State registered voters supporting Lazio, 29 percent say they strongly favor the Republican, while 16 percent say they favor him with reservations and 50 percent say they are voting against Clinton.

Among Clinton voters, 57 percent say they strongly favor her, while 34 percent say they favor her with reservations and 7 percent say they are voting against Lazio.

From May 30 - June 5, Quinnipiac University surveyed 970 New York State registered voters. The survey has a margin of error of +/- 3.2 percent.

"Surprising good news for Rep. Lazio. New to the Senate race, he's in a dead heat with Mrs. Clinton and already on a par with the Republican he replaced, Mayor Giuliani," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

"Lingering bad news for Lazio. Even after the torrent of public attention he's enjoyed, more than half of New York voters still don't know enough about him to decide whether they like him."


While Clinton leads Lazio 49 - 38 percent among all women, Lazio edges Clinton 46 - 41 percent among white women, a critical voting block that had supported Giuliani.

Lazio leads among upstate voters 49 - 38 percent, and among suburban voters 54 - 38 percent, while Clinton leads 56 - 30 percent among New York City voters.

By a 25 - 8 percent margin, voters statewide have a favorable opinion of Lazio, with 8 percent mixed and 58 percent saying they don't know enough to form an opinion.

Clinton's favorability is 35 - 39 percent, with 22 percent mixed and 3 percent saying they don't know enough to form an opinion. This is down slightly from her 37 - 35 percent favorability in the May 16 poll.

Mayor Giuliani's favorability is 42 - 27 percent, with 22 percent mixed and 7 percent saying they don't know enough to form an opinion, one of his highest scores statewide.

"On the ideological scale, 55 percent of voters label Clinton a liberal. One-third of voters aren't sure about Lazio yet, but 32 percent call him a moderate and 26 percent call him a conservative," Carroll said.

New York State voters are split 47 - 46 percent on whether Clinton has "the right kind of experience to be a Senator from New York."

By a 49 - 14 percent margin, with 37 percent undecided, voters say Lazio has "the right kind of experience."

Thirty-eight percent of voters say education is the issue they most want discussed by the candidates, while 26 percent list taxes and 23 percent list health care or health care costs.

Abortion should be generally available, 50 percent of voters say, while 34 percent say there should be some limits on abortion and 13 percent say abortion should not be permitted. Only 23 percent of voters support so-called "partial birth abortion," while 63 percent say it should be banned except when needed to save the life of the mother.

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