The gap between the front runners in the Pittsburgh Democratic mayoral primary has widened beyond the margin of error in the latest poll, but it is still far less than the percentage of those who are still undecided.
Pittsburgh City Councilman Bill Peduto leads former Pennsylvania Auditor General Jack Wagner 39 percent to 32 percent with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percent in the latest Keystone Analytics poll.
The poll looking at the May 21 primary was conducted on May 7 and 8. The results were based on 404 telephone surveys of Pittsburghers who identified themselves as likely Democratic primary voters.
Eighteen percent of the respondents said they were still undecided, with 8 percent saying they plan to vote for state Rep. Jake Wheatley and 1 percent falling into the camp of community activist A.J. Richardson.
The same survey asked about name recognition among the candidates. Peduto was known by 96 percent of the respondents, while Wagner was known by 97 percent. But name recognition is not always a good thing. The recent wave of negative ads by both camps could be responsible for a shift in those numbers.
Peduto and Wagner have seen their approval ratings drop compared to a similar survey conducted in late April. Peduto slipped 14 percent to pick up at a 51 percent approval rating. Wagner dropped 15 percent to land at a 49 percent approval rating.
Keystone Analytics also released the numbers on a district-by-district basis. Peduto holds a larger than 10 point advantage in Districts 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, while Wagner holds the same advantage in Districts 2 and 4. The race was closer in Districts 1 and 9, where at least 25 percent of those surveyed said they were unsure for whom they would vote.
