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SALT LAKE CITY — Challenger Jackie Biskupski is garnering more favorable ratings among likely voters than incumbent Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker, according to a UtahPolicy.com survey released Monday.
Of the 330 likely voters Dan Jones & Associates polled Oct. 19-21, 56 percent have a favorable opinion of Becker, while 44 percent share an unfavorable view — a 12-point net favorability rating.
But 70 percent said they view Biskupski favorably, with just 30 percent expressing an unfavorable view. That's a 40-point net favorability rating, a score Biskupski's campaign manager, Lindsay Barenz, said isn't surprising.
"This just confirms what we have been hearing throughout this entire campaign: People are ready for change," Barenz said in an email Monday.
Becker's campaign spokesman, Matt Lyon, said the survey's numbers are lower than what the mayor's campaign found in its last poll.
"(Becker) has been in office for eight years and has approval ratings that any mayor or elected official around the county would be really excited to have," Lyon said. "I still feel really good about (the campaign)."
Among Republicans, 53 percent have a favorable view of Becker, while 45 view Biskupski positively. As for Democrats, Becker is viewed favorably by 63 percent, but 83 percent view Biskupski the same way.
Fifty percent of independent voters have a favorable view of Becker, but 69 percent have a favorable opinion of Biskupski.
Biskupski also enjoys a higher favorable rating among women, with 74 percent favorable and 26 percent unfavorable. Becker's rating among women is 58 percent favorable to 41 percent unfavorable.
Among men, Becker has a 53 percent favorable rating to 47 percent unfavorable, while Biskupski has 66 percent favorable and 34 percent unfavorable.
