Poll shows tight race for Senate seat on April 19

With less than a month remaining before voters choose a candidate to fill the state Senate seat left vacant by former Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, Siena College released a poll last week showing Democratic Assemblyman Todd Kaminsky and Republican attorney Chris McGrath in a tight race. 

Kaminsky, of Long Beach, and McGrath, of Hewlett Harbor, are running in the special election to be held on April 19, the day of the presidential primary in New York state, after Skelos lost his seat upon conviction on corruption charges in December.

The 9th Senate District encompasses the Five Towns, Atlantic Beach, Baldwin, East Atlantic Beach, East Rockaway, Elmont, Franklin Square, Island Park, Lido Beach, Long Beach, Lynbrook, Malverne, Oceanside, Point Lookout, Rockville Centre, South Hempstead, Valley Stream and West Hempstead.

Responding to issues suggested by the poll, voters said their top concerns are property taxes, education, creating jobs and fighting political corruption.

The poll tallied the ratings of 529 likely voters in the 9th District, finding that 47 percent of those residents would vote for Kaminsky — who represents the 20th Assembly District — while 45 percent would back McGrath, making the race a dead heat. Eight percent were undecided or are supporting another candidate. The poll has a margin of error of 4.5 percentage points. Green Party candidate Laurence Hirsh, an accountant from North Woodmere, was not included by name in the poll.

Kaminsky and McGrath have nearly identical favorability ratings, at 44 and 43 percent respectively. Twenty percent of those polled find the democratic Assemblyman unfavorable, and 23 percent lack approval for the personal injury lawyer and Hofstra law professor.

“The fact that Chris McGrath, who is not a politician and was virtually unknown five weeks ago, is already in a dead heat for the 9th Senate District tells you everything you need to know about the state of this race,” state Senate GOP spokesman Scott Reif said in a statement.