[NYC Mayor’s Race 2013]
New York City Mayoral candidate John Liu believes his poll numbers are under-reported by as much as 12 points and says he will surprise people with a strong voter-turnout from the Asian community.
Liu, the New York City Controller, whose poll numbers are about 10%, told a Q-and-A session with journalists and editors from newspapers that target the city’s ethnic communities that he has been working hard and that he’s signed up many new voters in the Asian communities. Many of those new voters are very enthusiastic because for the first time they see that they have a “horse” in the race, Liu the City’s first serious mayoral candidate of Asian origin, said.
He said Asian voters will make up 15% of the electorate. Liu noted that his poll numbers had been “consistent” throughout the investigation — “consistently low” he added, with perfect timing for the humor to set in, to much laughter from reporters. On a more serious note, Liu stressed that the major pollsters don’t factor in Asian voters in their surveys.
The Q-and-A was hosted Thursday afternoon at the CUNY Center Graduate School of Journalism and is part of an on-going series that the Center is hosting with the City’s mayoral candidates. Adolfo Carrion appeared before Liu today. Next Monday, Christine Quinn will make her appearance at 10 AM.
Liu said he also had strong support in the African American and Latino communities. He said he’s also won the support of several Democratic Clubs in predominantly White neighborhoods, including in Quinn’s own backyard.
He acknowledged that the investigation of his campaign’s fundraising have hobbled his efforts and believes he would have been neck-and-neck with the other candidates had they too been subjected to the kind of scrutiny he’s endured. He refused to speculate when a reporter asked whether he felt he had been targeted and for what reason.
Liu reiterated his position that Stop-and-Frisk was unconstitutional and that he would bring an end to it; he’s the only candidate to call for it to be abolished. Liu also said he would end the targeting of Muslim for surveillance by the New York Police Department, simply because of their religion.
Liu said he would expand opportunities for ethnic-owned businesses and women-owned businesses for contracts with the City if elected mayor by ensuring that they too get information about bidding for work from the City.
The moderator of the Q-and-A was Gary Pierre Pierre, who teaches at the CUNY school of journalism.
[Longer report to follow on Friday]
