TO: Interested Parties FROM: Global Strategy Group DATE: November 19, 2018 RE: NEW POLL RESULTS: rises to the top in crowded race for Mayor

The open race for has attracted a crowded field of candidates, including Comptroller Susana Mendoza. Not only does Mendoza start off in the top tier of candidates, but her chances improve when voters receive campaign messaging from those candidates, proving she is in a strong position to win in 2019. Key findings from a recent citywide survey of 600 likely 2019 municipal voters conducted by Global Strategy Group are as follows:

KEY FINDINGS: • The race for mayor is wide open, but two candidates – Mendoza and Preckwinkle – start with an advantage. Three-quarters of Chicago voters are familiar with , making her the best-known candidate in the race (43% favorable/31% unfavorable, 73% familiar, +12 NET favorability). But Susana Mendoza is also well-known, and voters are more favorable towards her (49% favorable/14% unfavorable, 63% fam, +35 NET fav).

• Name recognition and favorability propel Mendoza and Preckwinkle to the top of the crowded field. Preckwinkle currently leads with 15% of the vote, but Mendoza is in a close second, and within the margin of error, at 13%. No other candidate garners a double-digit vote share, including Bill Daley (9%), Willie Wilson (8%), Garry McCarthy (7%), and (6%).

• A simulated campaign increases Mendoza’s support, while Preckwinkle sees little movement. After hearing positive information about Mendoza, Preckwinkle, Daley, and , nearly a quarter of voters choose Mendoza on their full ballot (23%), an increase of 10 points, to overtake Preckwinkle for the lead. Preckwinkle remains in the top two, but her modest gains suggest she has little room to grow (+4 to 19%), foreshadowing a negative campaign for her versus Mendoza. Daley benefits more from positive communications (+7 to 16%), though he still lags behind Mendoza and Preckwinkle.

• In a run-off scenario between Mendoza and Preckwinkle, Mendoza bests Preckwinkle. In the event that Mendoza and Preckwinkle continue as voters’ top-two choices, nearly four in 10 voters would choose Mendoza over Preckwinkle in the April run-off (Mendoza 39%/Preckwinkle 33%). Notably, Mendoza is especially strong among voters under 45 (Mendoza 47%/Preckwinkle 25%). Positive communications push Mendoza’s overall lead over Preckwinkle from +6 to +14 (Mendoza 47%/Preckwinkle 33%).

• Daley is no match for Mendoza in a head-to-head contest. Should Daley’s margins improve over time and he become one of the top-two February finishers, voters would choose Mendoza over Daley by nearly 20 points (Mendoza 47%/Daley 29%). Again, Mendoza is especially strong with voters under 45 (Mendoza 55%/Daley 21%).

ABOUT THIS RESEARCH Global Strategy Group conducted a citywide survey between November 8th and November 11th, 2018 among 600 likely 2019 Chicago Municipal Election voters. This survey has a margin of error of +/-4.0%. Care has been taken to ensure the geographic and demographic divisions of the expected electorate are properly represented in this poll based on past voter turnout statistics.

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