New Poll - Ocean City, NJ

Ocean City, NJ Voters Unsure as to Next Mayor; Alessandrine Shows Early Strength, But Election Still Up for Grabs

Washington, DC (February 2, 2006)— With less than four months until voters in Ocean City, New Jersey go to the polls to decide who will replace the retiring Henry “Bud” Knight as that town’s mayor, a sizeable percentage remain on the fence.

A plurality (37%) of the 350 likely voters surveyed admitted that they are presently unsure as to whom they will support in the upcoming non-partisan election. Others were clear as to their preferences. In a hypothetical three-way match-up, Jody Alessandrine received 34% of the vote, more than three times the support for the other Democrat, Salvatore Perillo (10%),
and twice that for Republican Frank McCall (15%).

According to Kellyanne Conway, nationally recognized pollster and South Jersey native, whose firm conducted the survey, “At his stage, ‘Mr. Undecided’ has a slim lead over Alessandrine. This may throw a wrench into Perillo’s mayoral aspirations, since the two of them must appeal to many of the same voters.”
Conway continued, “As the sole Republican, McCall should be expected to improve upon his current take.”

A look at the cross-tabs by party were even more telling. Though the election is non-partisan, in this poll, Democrats and Independents were more likely to endorse Alessandrine, while
Republicans backed McCall. Perillo could not claim a significant portion of any major voter group. In fact, 45% of self-identified Democrats support Alessandrine and only 11% back Perillo. More self-identified Democrats actually support McCall than Perillo (15%- 11%).

David Von Savage, Chairman of Cape May County Regular Republican Club, who commissioned the poll said, “On a periodic basis, the Cape May County Regular Republican Organization conducts random samplings, such as this poll in Ocean City, to determine public sentiment on important issues of the day. This process is continued throughout Cape May County and is part of an on-going effort to maintain valuable insight on what is important to Cape May County voters and taxpayers.”

This survey of 350 likely voters in Ocean City was fielded January 23-25, 2006 by the polling company, inc. It has a margin of error of +/- 5.1%. Margins of error are higher for subgroups. The sample was drawn utilizing a Random Digit Dial (RDD), where phone numbers were generated by a computer to ensure that every voter household in the Ocean City had an equal chance to be surveyed. Prospective respondents were then further screened for their eligibility. For more information, call Kellyanne Conway at 202-667-6557 or email her at kellyanne@pollingcompany.com.