Mayor Bill de Blasio is actively campaigning for the White House, but his standing in the polls is taking a hit.
A new Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday afternoon shows de Blasio with less than 1 percent of Democratic voter support, the first national poll released since he launched his campaign last week.
The mayor actually was doing better in the polls before he became a candidate.
De Blasio did score high when Democrats were asked if they'd be unhappy with any of the candidates as the nominee. The mayor came in third, behind former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
But he is by far the most unpopular candidate in the race. Among all voters — Democrats and Republicans — only 8 percent said they had a favorable opinion of de Blasio. 45 percent of voters said they had an unfavorable opinion of him.
Among Democratic voters only, de Blasio's favorability was 14 percent, with 35 percent saying they had an unfavorable opinion of him. 52 percent said they hadn't heard enough about him.
When asked about the poll, a campaign spokeswoman pointed to the mayor's remarks about polling in general:
"I never worry about where I begin; it's where you end," de Blasio said while campaigning Sunday in Charleston, South Carolina.
The mayor did not refer to the poll or his presidential campaign at a rally opposing new restrictions on abortion access that several states have recently passed.
De Blasio's poor showing in the poll is a blow, especially considering the timing. It was conducted from May 16 through the 20th, during the first five days of his presidential campaign, at a time when his campaign launch was in the headlines.
During his interview on "Inside City Hall" on Monday night, de Blasio said he had already met one of the debate requirements by polling at 1 percent in three other national polls. But he may also need to reach certain fundraising targets to take the debate stage next month.
New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand also did not register in the poll.
Biden tops the latest poll at 35 percent.
The next closest candidates are Sanders at 16 percent and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren at 13.
The poll of 1,078 voters nationwide had a margin of error of +/- 3.7 percentage points. The survey includes Democratic leaners with a margin of error of +/- 5.6 percentage points.
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