Poll Results Show Spease Favored Over Davis in Elk Grove Mayoral Race

May 5, 2016 |

If Elk Grove Mayor Gary Davis can take any solace from a recently conducted poll, it is that it was unscientific in nature.

That popularity poll, which was conducted over a six day period ending on Tuesday on this site, showed that an overwhelming number of participants said if the vote for Mayor were held today, their choice would be Elk Grove Planning Commission Kevin Spease. Of the 54 poll participants, 33, or 61-percent responded they favored Spease.

Davis finished with six votes representing 11-percent while Joel Broussard snagged two votes for three percent. Not surprisingly, some other unnamed candidate gathered five votes for nine-percent, while none of the above garnered seven votes for 12-percent and there was one undecided vote.

As the city's first directly elected mayor in 2012, Davis, who is seeking his third two-year term might be facing a case of voter fatigue after serving on the city council since 2006. Furthermore, Davis has pushed hard and spent considerable political capital on his two pet projects - the civic center aquatics facility and a soccer stadium/competitive soccer fields complex, both of which are stalled in spite of years of hearings and non-starts.

While these poll results might simply indicate readership on this site favor Spease's candidacy, a broader measure, which Davis will undoubtedly commission as his campaign progresses, is to likely show a much closer race. Nonetheless, this informal poll could point to some landmines for Davis.

Most troubling for any incumbent is a good 22-percent of participants were undecided or supported some other unnamed candidate. Like most elections, the action will be securing these undecided voters but for an incumbent, it shows voters are not enthused with the status-quo which Davis represents. 

Another factor that could negatively affect Davis' campaign is the candidacy of Joel Broussard. As a Democratic party member, Davis like other members of his party have relied on a diverse coalition of voters, and in a race that is technically non-partisan, Brousard could make inroads with Elk Grove's African American voting block, which will hurt Davis and benefit Spease.

The election is six months from now, so other polls will be conducted here to see if any trends develop.