With less than two weeks until the primary election, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio surges ahead of the Democratic pack for New York City mayor. 
With less than two weeks before the primary election, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio is surging way ahead in the Democratic primary for New York City mayor according to a new Quinnipiac poll. De Blasio polled at 36% among likely voters—just four points below the threshold for avoiding a runoff election.
City Council Speaker Christine Quinn now has the support of 21% of likely voters, and former City Comptroller Bill Thompson has 20%. Disgraced former Congressman Anthony Weiner trails behind at 8% with City Comptroller John Liu at 6%, and former Council member Sal Albanese at 1%.
An earlier August 13 poll had de Blasio at 30% with Quinn at 24%, and Thompson following closely behind at 22%.
Among likely Democratic voters, 65% said they wanted the new mayor to move away from the policies of three-term outgoing Mayor Michael Bloomberg, only 25% said the city should continue in the same direction.
Eight percent of voters polled were undecided. The mayoral primary is September 10.
The Quinnipiac poll surveyed 602 likely Democratic primary voters between Aug. 22 and Aug. 27 with a margin of error of +/- 4 percentage points.