City Council Speaker Christine Quinn holds the lead in the race for mayor. (Metro file photo)
City Council Speaker Christine Quinn is leading among the Democratic contenders for mayor by a huge margin, with more support than her three biggest challengers combined, according to the latest Quinnipiac University poll.
Quinn has the support of 37 percent of registered Democrats, inching closer to the 40 percent she needs to avoid a runoff election.
Public Advocate Bill De Blasio follows with 14 percent, former Comptroller Bill Thompson has 11 percent and City Comptroller John Liu has 9 percent. Twenty seven percent are undecided.
The Quinnipiac survey also found that more New Yorkers are comfortable with a woman, an African-American, a Hispanic-American, an Asian-American, a gay or lesbian or someone married to a gay or lesbian as mayor than are comfortable with a business executive as mayor.
Quinn leads Republican candidate and former MTA Chairman Joe Lhota 69 percent to 19 percent, according to the poll.
Voters also said they do not know enough about the Republican candidates to form an opinion.
