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Recent Sienna Research Institute polls show Murphy has gained support in the 20th Congressional district

March 27

Murphy: 47%

Tedisco: 43%

Sundwal: 2%

March 12

Tedisco: 45%

Murphy: 41%

Sundwall: 1%

Feb. 26

Tedisco: 46%

Murphy: 34%

Sundwall: N/A

SARANAC LAKE - Democratic congressional candidate Scott Murphy has gone from being 12 percentage points behind Republican Jim Tedisco in the Siena Research Institute's first poll to 4 points ahead in the latest.

The poll, which was released Friday morning, showed Murphy with the support of 47 percent of the 917 likely voters polled, Tedisco with 43 percent, Liberarian Eric Sundwall (who dropped out of the race Wednesday) with 2 percent and the rest undecided.

In Essex, Warren and Washington counties, Murphy had 58 percent, Tedisco 29 percent and Sundwall 3 percent.

The margin of error is 3.2 percent.

The special election to fill New York's vacant 20th Congressional District seat is Tuesday, March 31.

The Siena poll released on March 12 showed 45 percent support for Tedisco districtwide, 41 percent for Murphy and 1 percent for Sundwall, and the one released on Feb. 26 showed 46 percent for Tedisco and 34 percent for Murphy. Sundwall was not included in that poll as he was not yet on the ballot, although he had declared his candidacy.

Both campaigns reacted immediately to the latest poll.

"Our thousands of grassroots supporters are fired up and ready to go spread Scott's message of partnering with President Obama and Senator Gillibrand to put people back to work," said Murphy spokesman Ryan Rudominer.

Rudominer credited Murphy's increasing support to his focus on "jobs and turning our economy around," and Tedisco's opposition to the stimulus bill.

Tedisco's campaign said recent internal polls by both parties show Tedisco with a lead of 2 or 3 percent.

"Today's Siena poll is simply another in a line of polls that shows this race within the margin of error," said Tedisco spokesman Adam Kramer. "In the end, this race is coming down to voter intensity and turnout, and our internal polls show us with strong leads in both areas. I am confident that our energetic, grassroots volunteers and message of fighting for Main Street, not Wall Street, will put us over the top Tuesday."

Sundwall was removed from the ballot by the state Board of Elections Wednesday. Although his name is on the ballots that have already been printed, votes for him will not be counted as he is no longer considered a candidate.

"This remains a very tight race, with intense campaign activity on both sides," said poll spokesman Steven Greenberg. "Where will undecided voters and Sundwall supporters go? This race is likely to be decided, however, by the campaigns' get-out-the-vote operations."

Contact Nathan Brown at 891-2600 ext. 26 or nbrown@adirondackdailyenterprise.com