Jan 3, 2022
With Election February 8th, Holt Campaign Holds Commanding 55-Point Lead
Mayor Holt at 61% on ballot test; Next closest competitor at 6%
Oklahoma City — The campaign to re-elect Mayor David Holt has released the results of its recent scientific poll of likely voters in the City of Oklahoma City. The results show voters are positive about the direction of the city, have an ever-increasing positive attitude about the incumbent mayor, and are poised to reelect him on February 8, 2022.
In a ballot test of the four candidates who will appear on the February 8th ballot, Holt simply dominates, already garnering commitments from 61% of voters, while Frank Urbanic comes in second at 6%, Carol Hefner checks in third at 4% and Jimmy Lawson polls at 1%. Among those with a history of voting in municipal elections, Holt’s total grows even higher, to 66%, while the other candidates remain stagnant. Among voters who have cast votes in each of three most recent citywide elections, Holt’s lead jumps to 65 points, with his support hitting 72%, while Urbanic remains second at only 7%.
Holt will win outright on February 8th if he receives majority support. In addition to already receiving majority support overall in this poll, Holt also receives majority support from every major subset of the electorate. In the poll, Holt is receiving at least 51 percent support from Republicans, Democrats, all age groups, all income levels, men and women.
“What may be most impressive is that Holt continues to improve his position despite not yet spending from his substantial campaign war chest,” said Holt’s pollster and political consultant Pat McFerron. McFerron references the more than $700,000 that Holt has raised for his re-election, most of which is still available for the final five weeks of the campaign. Holt’s campaign will also be buoyed by the endorsements it has already received from Oklahoma City’s police officers and fire fighters.
In addition to the ballot test question, questions about voters’ attitudes towards Holt’s service as mayor illustrate that his favorable rating has continued to improve across his four years in office. A survey conducted prior to the MAPS 4 vote in late 2019 had Holt’s favorable rating at 50% and a May 2021 previously-released survey showed him with a 56% favorable rating. Today, Holt’s favorable rating sits at 66% and only 17% have an unfavorable impression of him. “This high rating comes after a uniquely challenging time in American history. It indicates voters are appreciative of Holt’s leadership through those challenges and their collective image of him has improved as a result,” stated pollster Pat McFerron.
Questions about attitudes towards the other candidates for mayor illustrate that they are largely unknown, as none have a hard-name ID exceeding 25%. Two of the candidates (Urbanic and Hefner) actually fail to have a net positive impression (Urbanic: 8% Favorable, 8% Unfavorable; Hefner 9% Favorable, 16% Unfavorable) while Lawson is mostly unknown and only marginally positive among the 7% of the electorate that says they have heard of him (4% Favorable, 3% Unfavorable).
Holt’s successes are also evident in the positive attitude voters have about the direction of the city. Fully 62% of voters think the city is heading in the right direction while just one in five (20%) think it is on the wrong track. Republicans and Democrats alike are positive about the direction of the city. This is a question frequently posed to Oklahoma City voters by CHS & Associates, and 62% is the third-highest result among the seven times this question has been polled since 2014. The three highest results are all during Holt’s tenure as mayor.
The survey was conducted December 13-17, 2021 by Cole Hargrave Snodgrass & Associates and has a margin of error of +/- 4.9% at 95% confidence. All respondents are registered to vote in the city limits of Oklahoma City and indicated that they are likely to vote in the upcoming election for mayor.