PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The mayor’s race is a statistical tie.
Election watchdog group Committee of Seventy released the first independent poll of voters in Philadelphia and found former City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart in first place at 18%.
That’s just 1% ahead of former City Councilmember Cherelle Parker, at 17%. Following them is Helen Gym at 15%, Allan Domb at 14%, and Jeff Brown at 11%.
However, the Committee of Seventy said all of the candidates were within the poll’s credibility interval — similar to a margin of error — of 3.8%.
“Of the over 1,000 likely voters in the Philadelphia Democratic primary, it looks like it’s neck and neck and neck and neck,” said Lauren Cristella, Committee of Seventy interim president and chief operating officer.
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Those polled were also given the option to participate in ranked-choice, in which participants ranked the candidates 1 through 5. The method is used in 60 cities, including New York. Rhynhart again received the highest percentage, followed by Parker.
Breaking down the results further, Rhynhart leads with 29% among white voters — five points ahead of Gym. Parker had 31% of the Latino vote — twice as much as any other candidate. She also had a 10-point advantage over Jeff Brown among Black voters.
Gym polled at 40% among those who said they were “very liberal.” Domb had a strong advantage in Northeast Philadelphia and a slight edge over Parker with conservatives and moderates.
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The primary is May 16. According to the poll, 20% of voters say they are still undecided.
“We have about a fifth of voters who are still undecided — that’s 20%,” Cristella said. “And even in the poll, we pushed them to make a decision if they had to cast a vote, and only 5% of that 20% made a decision.”
The survey interviewed 1,500 Philadelphians via phone calls or texts.
Committee of Seventy commissioned the poll in partnership with FairVote, Urban Affairs Coalition, The Philadelphia Citizen and the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia.
“Every single vote will matter,” Cristella added, “and turnout will be the key here among different demographics across the city.”