A new poll of 400 likely voters by Indy Politics and Crossroads Public Affairs shows Democrats, overall, are enjoying a comfortable lead over their Republican challengers in the upcoming Indianapolis City-County Council race.
When voters were asked if they preferred the Democrat or Republican candidate for the City-County Council, the survey, conducted by ARW Strategies on September 24-25th, showed on a generic ballot, Democrats lead Republicans, 48 percent to 30 percent; 22 percent said they were either undecided or unsure.
“Democrats hold an 18-point advantage on the generic ballot for City-County Council races and, on net, are outpacing Hogsett’s lead over Shreve; 47 percent – 37 percent,” said pollster Andrew Weissert. “Shreve might be making the mayor’s race more competitive, but voters don’t appear prepared to make wholesale changes on the Council. While the generic Republican is winning Independents, it’s just a 7-point advantage (Rep 30 percent – Dem 23 percent), and the generic Democrat is dominating Moderates (Dem 51 percent – Rep 18 percent).
Due to the way Council Maps are drawn and the fact that most individuals don’t know which council district they live in, we did a breakdown by township as to who was the preferred candidate, the Democrat or Republican, or was the voter undecided.
- Center – 60-17-22
- Decatur – 52-28-20
- Franklin – 19-49-31
- Lawrence – 51-29-19
- Perry – 37-38-24
- Pike – 56-18-25
- Warren – 37-43-19
- Washington – 67-20-12
- Wayne – 25-40-33
When it comes to the Council’s approval rating, the body, as a whole, is underwater. Only 37 percent approve of the job the Council currently is doing, while 46 percent disapprove; 17 percent said they were undecided,
Voters were also asked what the most significant issue that the Council should address; crime was the number one at nearly 44 percent, followed by roads and infrastructure at 17 percent. Tackling inflation and combating racial injustice were third and fourth at 12 percent and 10 percent, respectively.
“Crime is obviously the big issue dominating the election, with a clear plurality picking it as the most important issue for the Council to focus on,” Wessiert noted. But if Republicans hoped to capitalize on that, they’re falling short. Of those who believe it’s the number one issue, Republicans lead the generic Council ballot just 47%-29%, failing to get even a majority of those voters
Tomorrow, we look at issues concerning downtown Indianapolis.
The poll of 400 likely voters was conducted September 24-25th. It has a margin of error of +/- 4.9%.
