Indicted Rep. Mike Grimm holds a razor-thin lead over Democratic challenger Domenic Recchia in the fierce contest to represent Staten Island and south Brooklyn in Congress, a poll released Tuesday night revealed.
Grimm led Recchia 44 percent to 40 percent, with 4 percent supporting Green Party candidate Henry Bardel and a considerable 12 percent undecided, according to the survey conducted by NY1/Capital New York/Siena College Research Institute.
The poll called 585 likely voters and has a 4 percent margin of error, meaning the race is a virtual toss-up.
The results show surprising strength for Grimm, despite the incumbent facing a 20-count federal indictment for tax-evasion and other charges relating to his prior stint as a restaurateur.
Grimm led Recchia by 9 points — 48 percent to 39 percent — among Staten Island voters who represent three-quarters of the district.
Recchia, a former councilman who resides in Brooklyn, was ahead 42-35 in his borough.
Grimm gets 73 percent support from Republican voters and led Recchia 47-33 among independents/ non-affiliated voters.
Recchia led among fellow Democrats 59-27 percent.
Grimm’s legal woes has hurt his standing — he’s viewed unfavorably by 49 percent of voters and favorably by 39 percent. And half of voters said Grimm’s indictment makes them less likely to vote for him.
But Recchia also has soft spots. One quarter of Staten Island voters said they’re less likely to support him because he’s from Brooklyn. And nearly half of voters — 45 percent — said they don’t know Recchia.
And more voters said they believe Grimm will do a better job representing them on bread-and-butter issues such as taxes, jobs, immigration, national security.
“With only four points separating the candidates, these next seven weeks look to be a major battle spanning the Verazzano Bridge,” said Siena pollster Steve Greenberg.
“Will Grimm’s indictment and scheduled trial have an impact on voters? Will undecided voters follow tradition and break towards the challenger? Stay tuned, this one figures to be exciting till the end.”
The survey also had some good news for Gov. Cuomo’s re-election bid. The Democratic incumbent led Republican rival Rob Astorino 60-28 percent in the city’s most right-leaning congressional district.
Still, three-quarters of voters support raising the minimum wage, six in ten back both comprehensive immigration reform and imposing a minimum 30 percent tax on the rich.
Conversely, 50 percent oppose Obama Care compared to 39 percent who back it.