Poll shows Katz tied with Street

With Election Day less than a month away, the two major candidates are in a dead heat. They're hurtling towards the finish line in a dead heat. According to the latest Keystone poll released this week, Republican Sam Katz has 39 percent of the vote and Democrat John Street 38 percent. The difference is statistically insignificant. With barely three weeks left until the election the candidates are now furiously campaigning for the remaining swing votes -- according to the poll, a hefty 23 percent is undecided. But as the numbers look now, Election Day could have a photo finish. The poll, sponsored by The Philadelphia Daily News and WTXF-TV, surveyed a broad demographic of voters and indicates that many Philadelphians will cast their vote along racial -- not party -- lines. According to the poll, Katz has the support of approximately 67 percent of white voters, while Street has a corresponding 66 percent of the black vote. Philadelphia is a staunchly Democratic city, with registered Democrats outnumbering Republicans by a 4-1 margin. Penn Political Science Professor Jack Nagel said he was not surprised by the close results of the poll. "There's a substantial part of the normal Democratic voters that would have real trouble voting for a black man," he said. Street has long been the frontrunner, so the latest poll results surely come as a blow to his campaign. But Street spokesperson Ken Snyder said that their campaign is in good shape. "This is exactly the race we anticipated," he said. "We knew things would be close." Street originally expected backing from all the Democratic primary candidates. Instead, Katz's campaign has been boosted by recent endorsements from Democrats John White and Happy Fernandez. This support is key for Katz's campaign, since the endorsements may make Democrats who are unhappy with Street as their standard-bearer feel better about crossing party lines. The poll revealed that the endorsements are indeed having an effect on Democratic supporters of White and Fernandez -- 37 percent of White's backers plan to vote for Katz compared to 24 percent for Street, while a whopping 69 percent of Fernandez voters intend to vote for the GOP candidate. But those numbers may be misleading, since White drew only 22 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary, while Fernandez garnered just 6 percent. And even supporters of Marty Weinberg -- who finished second to Street in the primary and is now endorsing him -- do not like Street. A stunning 83 percent of them are now backing Katz. Still, Snyder said that Street is not worried, insisting the poll will fuel the intensity of the campaign for the next few weeks. "We are going to keep the heat on Sam Katz and aggressively point out the difference [between the candidates]," he said. Street has just begun airing a new series of ads questioning Katz's plans to cut the wage tax from 4.6 to 4 percent. Meanwhile, Katz spokesperson Bob Barnett said the Street campaign knows it will be a tough race. "They're very desperate," Barnett said. The Keystone poll also addressed voters' opinions on key campaign issues including economic reform, education and public safety. Fifty-seven percent favor school vouchers and 33 percent are against them. Katz is a vocal supporter of vouchers, while Street opposes them on the grounds that they would drain money and resources from public schools. A plurality of those polled, 37 percent, said crime and drugs are the city's biggest areas of concern, while 27 percent said education was the biggest issue. Others cited taxes, unemployment and population loss. The Keystone telephone poll was taken of 361 registered Democrats, 101 registered Republicans and 58 independents. It has a 4 percent margin of error.

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