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Hogsett and Shreve

Source: WISH-TV / WISH-TV

INDIANAPOLIS — The first legitimate polling data is out when it comes to the race for mayor of Indianapolis.

In a poll commissioned by Indy Politics and Crossroads Public Affairs and conducted by ARW Strategies, current Mayor Joe Hogsett holds a ten-point lead over his Republican challenger Jefferson Shreve.

Among 400 likely voters in Indianapolis, 47-percent said they would vote for Hogsett while 37-percent said they supported Shreve. 16-percent of those voters are undecided, which pollsters say is significant.

“On the one hand, if I’m Joe Hogsett, I would be disappointed to be below 50 percent in a city like Indianapolis, given the demographics. This is a Democratic city but he’s underperforming with his own base, only getting 81 percent of Democrats and is getting just 59 percent of Black voters,” stated Andrew Weissert of ARW Strategies.

When asked how they felt about Mayor Hogsett’s performance as mayor 46-percent said they approved of the job he’s doing, but 47-percent said they disapproved. Slightly more of those surveyed also believe that Shreve would be better on crime than Hogsett in the next term. Nearly half of those surveyed said that the city is unsafe.

More voters though believe that Hogsett would be better at promoting a more inclusive local economy.

Weissert said the numbers show that Shreve is not capitalizing like he probably should be.

“I don’t see signs Jefferson Shreve is capitalizing on Hogsett’s vulnerabilities,” he said. “This seems like an election that should have been a real problem for Hogsett. A majority of voters believe the city is on the wrong track. His job approval is underwater. At this stage, Shreve needs to have won more of those voters over.”