This afternoon communications strategist Tony Manolatos and LaDonna Harvey analyzed the mayors race. Their exchange is below.
LaDonna: There’s a new poll that says Nathan Fletcher could be edging out Bob Filner and could be meeting Bob Filner in the runoff election.
Tony: Yeah, this week at San Diego Rostra they got ahold of a poll commissioned by Congressman Filner and it shows that Carl and Bob Filner are basically in a virtual tie right now but Nathan has shored up 3rd place at 20%, Filner at 27 and DeMaio at 26. This seems to be the latest, sort of freshest poll at least a poll that’s leaked. This came out uh, end of last month. So, and what Filner’s poll says Ladonna was that Bob would need a well-funded and aggressive campaign to get in the runoff with Carl and as you know Bob’s campaign has been anything but well-funded and organized and aggressive to this point.
LaDonna: Yeah, what’s strange is, Bob Filner is a very aggressive person. I have been baffled by his lack of enthusiasm for running for mayor well here is a very good chance he’d be in that runoff.
Tony: Yeah, you know, I think he’s been you know he’s obviously taken the strategy I’m going to sit back and let these 3 Republicans duke it out and know that labor is going to come in with some money for me and also the Democrat voting base here still obviously swings in my favor. But geez you know it’s not like Nathan Fletcher isn’t going to grab some dems and some independents.
LaDonna: Right, well and that’s really what he’s going for is people who look at Carl DeMaio as being an extremist.
Tony: Correct. I think yeah. If it’s DeMaio and Fletcher I think Fletcher absolutely will paint DeMaio as far right as he can and obviously Filner will try to do that too if it’s Filner DeMaio. What this poll also shows that Bonnie Dumanis is slipping,
LaDonna: Yeah, not surprising. I was really um put off a little bit by the fact that so many people were running for mayor. It’s too much of a good thing. We have people who are in current jobs we kind like them in and I wish they would just stay there. But that’s just me and my wishful thinking.