Long Beach : About Half of Those Polled Were Undecided on Mayor

About half the voters questioned late last month in a political poll said they were undecided when asked if they would vote for Mayor Ernie Kell or his leading challenger, Councilman Tom Clark, in this April’s city election.

The poll, conducted for Clark by Independent Data Research, a Los Angeles-based polling and political consulting firm, found that 47% of about 200 respondents had not decided whom they would vote for if given the choice of Kell and Clark, the two primary contestants in a crowded mayoral field.

In an initial round of questioning, 35% of those polled said they would vote for incumbent Kell and 18% said they would vote for Clark, according to Independent Data. Those figures changed after the voters were asked a series of questions dealing with local issues. Asked a second time on whom they would vote for, voters split evenly, with Kell and Clark each receiving 24% of the vote. The remaining 52% were undecided.

Both sides put a good face on the figures. “When any incumbent has 35% going into the election he is in lots of trouble,” asserted Rick Taylor of Independent Data. “If I were Tom Clark I would be very encouraged.”

Jeff Adler, Kell’s political adviser, insisted that the polling results amount to an admission that Clark “is losing the race.” Adler said the large number of undecided voters was to be expected, since the election is still weeks away and campaigning has thus far been very low key.