Internal poll shows dead heat in Plainfield mayoral primary

An internal poll conducted by Richard Wyatt, a candidate for the Democratic nomination for mayor of Plainfield, shows Wyatt leading three-term incumbent Adrian Mapp by 4.4 points, 34.5% to 30.1%, a statistical dead heat.

The poll, conducted by Blueprint Polling, shows Mapp’s favorables at 42.5% to 41.3%, with favorable for Wyatt, a city councilman, at 47.9% to 9.6%.

In the Democratic gubernatorial primary, Plainfield voters give Newark Mayor Ras Baraka a 32%-7% lead over New Jersey Education Association President and former Montclair Mayor Sean Spiller.  More than half of Plainfield Democrats (50.6%) are still undecided, a number that is consistent with other polls in the Democratic governor’s race.

“Mapp’s administration has faced criticism over various policies and management decisions, which may have contributed to his current standing. His struggle to connect with voters and address their concerns has left him with an uphill battle as he seeks to secure another term,” a polling memo said.  “While Mapp may still have a base of support, the polling suggests that it may not be enough to propel him to victory, especially given Wyatt’s favorable positioning.”

Four years ago, Mapp defeated Wyatt, running off-the-line, by just 269 votes.  Mapp won in 2017 by 630 votes, a 21-point margin; he defeated incumbent Sharon Robinson-Briggs, by 1,037 votes, in 2013.  In that race, Mapp had the backing of Assemblyman Jerry Green (D-Plainfield), the Union County Democratic chairman.

The poll was conducted between February 10-14 with a sample size of 289 likely Democratic primary voters and a margin of error of +/- 5.77%.

Blueprint Polling is a Democratic firm ranked #56 out of 282 polling firms by FiveThirtyEight; for comparison purposes, the Rutgers-Eagleton Poll ranks #65.