Republican Representative John Faso is locked in a statistical tie with his Democratic opponent Antonio Delgado in the 19th Congressional District in the Hudson Valley, an exclusive Spectrum News/Siena College poll released Monday found.
The poll found Faso drawing 44 percent, with 43 percent surveyed backing Delgado. Actress Diane Neal, running an Independent bid, received five percent. Green Party candidate Steven Greenfield receive one percent. Seven percent of voters are undecided.
The 19th Congressional District, which runs from the Capital Region to the northern outskirts of the New York City metropolitan area, is one of the most hotly contested races in the state if not the country that could decide control of the House of Representatives.
The poll found a significant gender gap between Faso and Delgado. Women voters backed Delgado by a 17-point margin. Men support Faso by 19 percentage points.
Forty-eight percent of voters polled back Republicans maintaining control of the House, with 45 percent supporting it flip to a Democratic majority.
Underscoring the national interest in the race, Delgado’s campaign on Saturday announced former Vice President Joe Biden would travel to the district in the coming days. Earlier House Speaker Paul Ryan stumped with Faso.
Faso, seeking a second term, has a 40 percent favorable rating, with 46 percent holding an unfavorable opinion of him. Voters are split on Delgado, an attorney who was born in Schenectady and relocated from New Jersey, with 42 percent holding a favorable view of him and 41 percent an unfavorable opinion.
Voters are also split on President Donald Trump. Forty-nine percent disapprove of the job he’s doing as president, while 46 percent approve.
The poll of 500 likely voters was conducted from October 12 to October 16. It has a margin of error of 4.6 percentage points.
Congressman John Faso's campaign responded to the Spectrum News/Siena Poll Monday morning. In a statement, spokesperson Joe Gierut said:
"The Siena poll released today confirms what we’ve known for some time. This is a close race but our campaign is poised to win. Congressman Faso has been falsely attacked with millions of outside leftist money flooding into our district and we remain confident that a majority of voters will reject such tactics on November 6, as they did last election cycle.”
Delgado's campaign manager sent Spectrum News a statement after the poll was released, saying:
“Siena had us down five points back in August and now we have pulled to within just one," said Delgado for Congress campaign manager Allyson Marcus. "The outpouring of support is really building, both in the polls and on the ground. Our volunteers worked together to knock on more than 30,000 doors over the weekend and the engagement and enthusiasm are only growing as we get closer to the election. We have a real opportunity to make healthcare both accessible and affordable for everyone, lower the tax burden on the working and middle class and create a brighter future for upstate New York. It will take all of our supporters getting out and knocking on more doors, talking to more neighbors and reminding people what is at stake with this election to get out the vote and bring real, positive change.”