Spitzer Leads N.Y. Gov. Pataki, Trails Secretary of State Powell in Quinnipiac Poll

The race is still some time off, but New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer (D), who has been on a crusade this year to fight reported bid-rigging in the insurance industry, holds a double-digit advantage over
Republican Gov. George Pataki in the 2006 governor’s race. If you throw in soon to be departed Secretary of State and New York City native Colin Powell in a hypothetical race, Spitzer would finish second.

The poll was conducted prior to Spitzer’s announcement earlier this week that he would run for the Empire State’s top office. Spitzer led Pataki 50 percent to 38 percent in the poll by the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

Powell, who led Spitzer by 47 percent, to 42 percent, has not announced if he would run for the governor’s seat when he leaves Washington, D.C. For that matter, Pataki, the current governor, has not indicated if he will seek a fourth term in 2006.

The telephone poll involving 1,186 registered New York voters was conducted Dec. 3-6, and includes a sampling error margin of plus or minus 3 percentage points.