Eliot Spitzer Collapses In A New Poll, And He And Scott Stringer Are Now Tied

Former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer and opponent Scott Stringer are in a dead heat in the New York City comptroller's race, according to a new poll from Quinnipiac University.

Among likely Democratic voters, both Spitzer and Stringer grab 46% of the vote in the upcoming Democratic primary. The primary is Sept. 10.

That's a huge plunge from Spitzer's 19-point lead in the previous Quinnipiac survey, which was released two weeks ago. As a grain of salt to the poll, however, Quinnipiac polls have been rather erratic in both he comptroller and mayoral races.

In the new poll, the main source of strength for Spitzer continues to be his standing with black voters, with whom he leads Stringer by 12 points. Stringer has a 58-35 lead with white voters. There is little gender gap between the two candidates.

Stringer voters are also more definitive in their support — 77% say they will "definitely" vote for him, while only 72% say the same about Spitzer. Only 13% of likely Stringer voters say they might change their mind, compared with 18% for Spitzer.

“The entire political and media world has jumped on Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer’s bandwagon, helping him poll-vault from 19 points down to dead even in just two weeks,” said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, in a statement.