MESSAGE FROM DOUG DUNHAM, LYNN NEILS, CATHERINE FOTI, ED DAVIS, CHUCK CLAYMAN, KEVIN SHERIDAN, AND ROSEMARIE BARNETT
Dear Colleague,
We'd like to tell you about our choice for New York attorney general, Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice. We are writing to urge you to vote for Kathleen in the Democratic Primary on Tuesday, September 14 because we believe that she is the most qualified candidate to help reform government, protect our civil liberties and keep our communities safe from white-collar and violent crime.
As Nassau County's chief legal advocate, Kathleen has shown that she is an independent fighter who's willing to take on tough challenges and offer innovative and progressive solutions to our communities' most serious problems.
Whether it is Kathleen's nationally acclaimed and award-winning efforts to reduce drunk driving and drug crime, or her aggressive and independent pursuit of political corruption, Kathleen has the integrity, the skill and the experience to keep the attorney general's office tough and progressive.
In 2005, Kathleen defeated a 31-year Republican incumbent to become the first woman elected district attorney in Long Island's history. This year, we have an opportunity to elect our state's first woman attorney general and, more importantly, the candidate that will make history is also the candidate most capable of defeating the New York GOP and using the attorney general's office to protect all that we hold dear.
And don't just take it from us -- Kathleen has been endorsed by leading New Yorkers like Gloria Steinem, Elizabeth Holtzman and NYC Comptroller John Liu.
The latest poll (see below) has Kathleen leading her nearest primary opponent by 6 percent. But the race is still expected to be close, and Kathleen needs your help to stay ahead and win. Please consider making a contribution to her in these final days by going to www.kathleenrice.com/contribute . Your contribution will help Kathleen stay on the air and maintain her aggressive field operation.
To learn about Kathleen's record and platform, or to volunteer, you can visit her website at www.kathleenrice.com . A few hours of your time volunteering to help Kathleen can make a difference in this close race.
Please join us in voting for Kathleen Rice for attorney general on Tuesday, Sept. 14, and urge your family members, colleagues, and friends to vote for Kathleen. Thank you very much.
Sincerely,
Doug Dunham, Lynn Neils, Catherine Foti, Ed Davis, Chuck Clayman, Kevin Sheridan, and Rosemarie Barnett
RESULTS OF THE MOST RECENT POLL OF AG RACE (September 6-7)
Kathleen Rice Leads the Field Heading into Campaign's Final Days
Rice holds significant vote and favorability advantages over her four opponents
Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice is well positioned in the primary for New York Attorney General, according to a poll of 600 likely Democratic primary election voters conducted September 6 - 7, 2010 by Global Strategy Group (GSG). Key findings include:
· Kathleen Rice is currently ahead by six points over Eric Schneiderman and by 15 points over Sean Coffey. Rice leads the field with 25% of the vote - ahead of Schneiderman at 19%, Coffey at 10%, Richard Brodsky at 6% and Eric Dinallo at 2%. Over one in three voters (36%) are undecided in this race, a dramatic shift from what had previously been a much higher rate of undecideds.
· Kathleen Rice holds favorability and name recognition advantages over her opponents. Rice has the highest favorability rating (40% favorable/10% unfavorable) and highest name recognition (50% know her well enough to give a rating) of any candidate. That's ahead of Eric Schneiderman (29% favorable/7% unfavorable; 36% name recognition), Sean Coffey (26%/8%; 34%), Richard Brodsky (20%/9%; 29%) and Eric Dinallo (9%/5%; 14%).
· Kathleen Rice currently has broad regional and demographic support across New York State. Rice is taking in at least 20% of the vote in the three key regions of the state (New York City, the Suburbs and Upstate), including over half of voters in her home base of Long Island. Rice also maintains a large double-digit lead with women and holds leads among white voters, African-American voters and Hispanic voters.
The bottom line is this: Kathleen Rice is in the strongest position of any candidate heading into the final week. While over a third of voters remain undecided in this five-candidate race, Rice is the clear front-runner with a six point lead based on broad support across the state and double-digit favorability and name recognition advantages. With Rice's four opponents actively communicating to voters across the state, resources will be critical to maintaining Rice's lead in the final days.