Internal Poll Shows City Controller Race Is Closer Than You Might Think

The survey found incumbent Alan Butkovitz leading challenger Rebecca Rhynhart by 3 points.

Get a compelling long read and must-have lifestyle tips in your inbox every Sunday morning — great with coffee!

A poll conducted on behalf of Rebecca Rhynhart shows incumbent City Controller Alan Butkovitz ahead by three points.

Twenty-six percent of those polled said they supported Butkovitz, while 23 percent backed his challenger. The majority of people surveyed — 51 percent — were undecided. Rhynhart’s campaign said the results showed that the race is a “statistical tie.”

Rhynhart led among African-Americans, 21 percent to 19 percent. Butkovitz performed better among white voters, leading 34 percent to 26 percent.

Normington, Petts & Associates, a Washington, D.C.-based firm, conducted the poll from April 23rd to April 25th. It surveyed 500 registered Democrats likely to vote in the primary. The margin of error was plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.

Asked for comment, Butkovitz said that a poll done on behalf of his campaign showed him ahead by a larger margin of 32-23. Aides for Butkovitz said it was conducted May 1st through May 3rd by SEA Polling & Strategic Design, surveyed 500 registered Democrats likely to vote, and had a margin of error of 4.38 percentage points. Butkovitz added that Brett Mandel, who challenged him in 2013, released an internal poll during the campaign that showed him ahead 27-23 — and then lost to Butkovitz by 30 points on Election Day.

“This is just a diversion from the fact that this year’s race is a significant threat to him,” countered Rhynhart. “The numbers from four years ago are about a completely different candidate.”

There haven’t been any independent polls done so far in the city controller’s race.

Follow @HollyOtterbein on Twitter.