Poll shows Coffin leads Ward 3 council race

Strong name recognition has helped keep former state legislator Bob Coffin ahead in the Ward 3 Las Vegas City Council race, according to a recent poll, but more than half of those in the sample still were undecided.

The survey, commissioned by the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors, found 27 percent of respondents favored him and that 59 percent of the sample knew who he was.

Next was Adriana Martinez, former head of the state Democratic Party, with 15 percent support, followed by Las Vegas Planning Commissioner Steve Evans, 5 percent.

Fifty-one percent of respondents answered "unsure."

The poll asked about only those three candidates, who are considered leaders among the seven on the ballot. They are competing to replace Gary Reese, who cannot run again because of term limits.

Coffin said he was "happy and surprised" by the results, and noted that 70 percent of those polled are 55 or older.

"These are the people who vote in primary city elections," he said. "I feel good about my position."

Still, he doubts the April 5 primary will result in a majority for any candidate, which would end the race. More likely is that the top two vote-getters will continue to the June 7 general election.

"I'm not planning on winning it in the primary," Coffin said. "Not with seven people on the ballot. That's nigh impossible."

Martinez said she was encouraged by the poll's findings, including name recognition by 35 percent of the respondents.

"I'm actually thrilled," she said, given that she has never held elected office and Coffin was a state lawmaker from 1982 to 2010.

"Polls are great, but they only capture the race for that specific moment in time. I'm out there plugging away every day," she said.

Evans' campaign manager, Mark Benoit, said the race is "wide open" given the number of undecideds in the poll. He noted that, at the time of the poll, their campaign had just started walking door to door.

"Since then, we've hit 2,500 homes," he said. "It would be a little different if they did it today."

The telephone poll asked questions of 300 likely primary voters in the Ward 3 Las Vegas City Council race and was taken Feb. 9-13.

The poll's margin of error is plus or minus 5.7 percentage points. It was performed by SGS of Gainesville, Fla., a national polling firm.

The Realtors association commissions polls in elections for the group's political action committee, which issues endorsements in political races.

Contact reporter Alan Choate at achoate@reviewjournal.com or 702-229-6435.