KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Rep. John Rizzo leads the Democratic primary for the 11th Senate District by 25 point margin, polling conducted for the Missouri Times shows.
Rizzo gets 47 percent of support from likely Democratic voters and is trailed by Jessica Podhola with 22 percent.
Mary Catherine DiCarlo checked in with 6 percent while Anthony Banks registered at 5 percent.
The polling was conducted before Gov. Jay Nixon endorsed Rizzo on Monday, saying the “Missouri Senate needs John Rizzo.”
Gravis Marketing polled by phone a random sample of 150 Democrats planning to vote in the Aug. 2 primary, conducted Thursday and Friday of last week. The poll has a margin of error of +/- 4 percent.
Rizzo is the only candidate in the race on the airwaves after making a significant tv advertising buy for the final weeks leading up to the primary, including an $84,000 buy with Kansas City’s four major broadcast channels. His ads have also appeared on cable networks.
Rizzo has not had the typical support expected from labor groups for a candidate with a strong pro-labor record. Podhola has been endorsed by the Kansas City Building Trades Council and the AFL-CIO left the race open in their endorsements. But Rizzo has been endorsed by other groups, including the firefighters and has received contributions from the carpenters.
