A black Democrat running for Congress in New York who has faced attacks from Republicans over his rap career has increased his lead over his incumbent GOP opponent, according to a new poll.
The Monmouth University survey of likely voters in New York’s 19th Congressional District found Antonio Delgado (D) with a 5-point lead over Rep. John Faso (R), a 2-point gain for Delgado over Faso from the same survey last month.
{mosads}Delgado holds the support of 49 percent of the likely voters polled, according to the Monmouth poll, while Faso trails with the support 44 percent of respondents. Faso’s support in the poll has dropped by 1 percentage point since a Monmouth survey in September, while Delgado’s support has increased by the same amount.
Voters’ concerns about health care ranked as the top issue in the district, with Delgado showing a 14-point advantage over Faso among voters when asked which candidate they trust to work to lower health-care costs.
The two candidates are tied when it comes immigration, which President Trump and Republicans have sought to resurface as a top issue for Americans ahead of next week’s midterm elections.
Democrats see Faso’s district as one of many that are needed to retake the lower chamber of Congress, where they hope to retake 23 seats to claim the House majority.
The party holds a slight advantage over Republicans for voters’ preference for control of Congress in New York’s 13th District, according to the poll, with 43 percent of respondents hoping Democrats will retake the House and 40 percent hoping the GOP maintains control.
Monmouth’s poll was conducted by telephone, and contacted 372 likely voters in New York’s 13th District between Oct. 24-28. The margin of error is 5.1 percentage points.