ALBUQUERQUE — State Public Regulation Commission member Ben Ray Lujan was slightly favored over Santa Fe developer Don Wiviott among likely voters in a six-way Democratic race in the 3rd Congressional District, a new poll shows.

Of the Democrats surveyed in the northern New Mexico district, 29 percent supported Lujan and 23 percent favored Wiviott, the Albuquerque Journal reported Sunday in a copyright story.

The Research and Polling, Inc., poll also showed that 33 percent of voters in the district are undecided.

Rounding out the poll were Santa Fe County Commission Harry Montoya with 7 percent, former state Indian Affairs secretary Benny Shendo Jr. with 5 percent, lawyer Jon Adams with 2 percent and lawyer Rudy Martin, who received 1 percent.

The poll, which was conducted May 20-22, began a day before widespread media reports that Shendo suggested that Lujan is gay and hiding his "lifestyle." Lujan has denied he is gay.

"There was no significant difference in results before and after the publicity," said Brian Sanderoff, president of Research and Polling.

The poll is based on a sample of 500 Democrats in the 3rd District who were interviewed by telephone and said they were likely to vote. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.

Lujan has the support of twice as many Hispanic Democrats in the heavily Hispanic district. Thirty-eight percent of Hispanics polled said they would vote for Lujan, compared to 18 percent who backed Wiviott.

Wiviott was supported by 34 percent of Anglo Democrats polled, compared to 22 percent for Lujan.

"The ethnicity of a candidate is oftentimes a major predictor of how people will vote and this race is no exception," Sanderoff said.

The highest percentage of voters who were undecided were in Rio Rancho in Sandoval County and on the district's east side, which includes Clovis and Portales.

Republicans Marco Gonzales and Daniel K. East are seeking the Republican nomination in the 3rd District.




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