Word out of Channel 30 is that mayoral candidate Ashley Swearengin leads the Fresno mayor's race with 53% of the vote to 41% for opponent Henry T. Perea in the station's latest poll. The poll, taken Oct. 29 and 30, has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1%.
The latest numbers mean Swearengin has lengthened her lead in recent days. On Oct. 18, Channel 30 released a poll that had her with a much smaller margin: 48% of the vote to 43% for Perea.
Click here to read details of the latest SurveyUSA poll for Channel 30.
This race still isn't over, though. Perea has increased his media buy recently and that could push "wobblers" and undecideds into his camp. Perea also has a major get-out-the-vote effort scheduled on Election Day, and his camp believes that will also pull voters to his side. Groups supporting Perea have also mailed some very negative ad pieces that attack Swearengin. We'll see if these last-minute tactics work.
Swearengin's handlers have believed she has had a double-digit lead for most of the month. Their internal poll released two weeks ago had her leading with 52% of the vote to 34% for Perea.
Nice of the Bee to withhold information on Perea’s contributors until just a few days before the election. It would be interesting to know just how long that info has been held in-house!
Makes me wonder what else has been withheld from us - of course, "for the common good."