LAS VEGAS (KLAS) -- Three candidates for Las Vegas mayor have separated themselves from the field, but the majority of voters remain undecided as the June 11 primary election nears, according to a new poll released Thursday.
The poll also asked about support for using public money in the construction of an A's baseball stadium, as well as Nevada voters' opinion on the most important issue in the upcoming presidential election.
The Emerson College Polling/KLAS-TV/The Hill poll shows former U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley with the support of 16% of voters surveyed in the mayor's race. City Councilwoman Victoria Seaman had 12% support and Councilman Cedric Crear had 7%.
Of the remaining eight candidates in the field of 11, Kara "KJ" Jenkins and Janiecia Fernandez got 2% of voters' support. Six candidates got 1%: Deb Peck, Michael Pacino, Tera Anderson, Lynn Baird, Donna G. Miller and Daniel Joseph Chapman. Four candidates got less than 1%: Kolawole S. Akingbade, William Walls, III, Irina Hansen and Eric Thomas Medlin.
If one candidate earns more than 50% of the vote, they would win the mayor's job outright. If that doesn't happen, the two candidates earning the most votes will advance to the general election.
The winner will take over for Mayor Carolyn G. Goodman, who is ineligible to run again due to term limits. She took over the job from her husband Oscar Goodman, who won election in 1999.
It's a nonpartisan race, but the poll asked voters about their support for Berkley, a Democrat and Seaman, a Republican. “Berkley holds 27% support among Democrats, with Seaman garnering 24% from Republicans in Las Vegas. Additionally, a significant 70% of independent voters remain undecided. Despite 56% of voters overall yet to make a decision, this contest appears to be narrowing down to a three-horse race among the 15 candidates,” according to Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling.
And with today's news that the Oakland A's will play three seasons at a minor league ballpark near Sacramento before their 2028 move to Las Vegas, the poll asked about support for using public money for the stadium.
A majority -- 51.6% -- oppose using public money for stadium construction. Support came from 31.6% of voters polled and 16.7% were uncertain or had no opinion.
"Union members, or those with a union member in their household, support public funding going toward the stadium at a higher rate than non-union members, 46% to 28%," Kimball said.
The economy remains the most important issue, but other priorities are shifting since a March 20 poll. The people polled in this survey were a narrower sample -- 500 people who are likely to vote in the Las Vegas mayoral election. In March, the survey was a broader sample -- 1,000 registered voters in Nevada.
With the narrower Las Vegas focus, the poll identified these issues as the most important to the 500 voters:
- Economy (26%)
- Housing affordability (18%)
- Education (15%)
- Crime (13%)
- Immigration (9%)
- Health care (8%)
- Threats to democracy (8%)
- Abortion access (1%)
- Something else (2%)
The survey was conducted April 1-2 and has a credibility interval (similar to a margin of error) of +/- 4.3 percentage points.
This survey was conducted by Emerson College Polling and sponsored by Nexstar Media.