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New Poll Results in Honolulu Mayor’s Race
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Tulchin Research recently conducted a survey on behalf of Pacific Resources Partnership (PRP) of likely voters in Honolulu County on the mayoral primary race as well as voters’ attitudes toward rail transit. The poll discovered that former Governor Ben Cayetano has lost ground in the primary campaign for mayor and no longer has a clear lead as he is now statistically tied with Mayor Peter Carlisle. Given Cayetano’s opposition to the rail transit project, this is good news for rail supporters and a city that has just been named as having the worst traffic congestion in the nation.
According to the poll:
- This most recent survey of voters and their attitudes about the mayor’s race found a notable drop in support for Ben Cayetano (-5 points since January), signaling that the honeymoon period he had with voters in January has ended. The former governor still leads his two rivals in the mayor’s race among likely primary voters in a 3-way matchup, but the gap has narrowed as Cayetano is supported by a third of voters (33 percent) and both of his opponents have gained ground as Mayor Peter Carlisle is now supported by 30 percent of voters and former interim Mayor Kirk Caldwell now with 21 percent of the vote.
- Tulchin Research has measured support for the voter approved rail-transit project several times over the past year, an issue that has come to define the Mayoral race. This most recent poll shows support for the rail transit project is higher now than at any other point since we started surveying voters on the subject. Specifically, while a plurality of voters on Oahu oppose the project (49 percent), nearly as many (46 percent) now support the project.
Read the full polling memo here.
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Media Coverage of the Honolulu Poll:
Honolulu Civil Beat: PRP Poll Shows Improved Numbers for Rail, Carlisle
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Since 1979, PRP has leveraged its position as a labor-management interface to strengthen Hawaii’s economy & improve quality of life for residents; Tulchin Research is working with PRP to build up support for rail on Oahu and oppose Ben Cayetano’s anti-rail candidacy for mayor. This poll shows these efforts are clearly having an impact.