WASHINGTON _ A new poll shows former Rep. Michael Grimm with a 10-point lead over incumbent Rep. Dan Donovan in the Republican primary for New York's 11th District.
The NY1 and Siena College poll asked if the congressional primary were held today, who would voters support. Grimm received 47 percent of likely voters' support compared to Donovan's 37 percent while 16 percent said they did not know or had no opinion.
"I have full faith that the voters of Staten Island and Brooklyn know that I have their back," Grimm said in a statement. "I have full faith that the voters of Staten Island and Brooklyn know that I have their back."
Despite these positive numbers for Grimm, 46 percent of Republican primary voters said Donovan is more likely to beat a Democratic opponent than Grimm.
Last week, President Donald Trump cited that sentiment in tweeting his "full endorsement" of Donovan, but he incorrectly stated that Donovan voted for the president's tax cut legislation.
In response, Grimm said it would not be smart for Trump to get involved in House primaries because it ends up angering one group or another.
Grimm resigned his seat in 2014 after pleading guilty to tax fraud, hiring undocumented workers and lying under oath. He subsequently served seven months in federal prison. Donovan won the special election to fill the seat in 2015.
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates the race Likely Republican, but Democrats aren't giving up on the race. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in January selected Army veteran Max Rose for its Red to Blue Program, which aims to flip Republican-held seats.
The NY1-Siena poll surveyed 513 likely Republican primary voters between May 29 and June 3. The margin of error was 4.3 percent.
