Alex Padilla for California State Senate

POLL SHOWS PADILLA WITH 25 POINT LEAD IN SENATE RACE

LOS ANGELES– With less than 90 days until Election Day, Alex Padilla maintains a commanding 25 point lead over his opponent in the race for the 20th State Senate District according to a new survey conducted by The Mellman Group. Padilla leads Assemblywoman Cindy Montanez 45% to 20% among likely primary voters.

In Montanez’s 39th Assembly District, Padilla is better known, better liked, and more of her constituents would choose Padilla over Montanez in the primary. According to the survey, Padilla leads the race in the 39th Assembly District by 50% to 24%. Sixty-six percent of voters give Padilla favorable ratings compared with 58% who rate Montanez favorably.

The new survey also shows that as voters get to know both candidates better, they continue to choose Padilla over his opponent. In December, Padilla led Montanez by 38% to 13%. According to The Mellman Group’s poll analysis, “By every measure, Padilla remains the stronger candidate, and is well-positioned to win the race.”

Councilmember Padilla is running for the State Senate seat being vacated by State Senator Richard Alarcon. The primary election will be held in June 2006.

The Mellman Group is a nationally-respected firm with decades of experience in California. Most recently, The Mellman Group helped the Alliance for a Better California in their sweeping initiative victories in the 2005 special election. The survey in the 20th State Senate District included 500 likely voters in the 2006 Democratic primary election and was conducted between February 28 and March 2, 2006. The margin of error is +/- 4.4 percent.

Click here for a copy of The Mellman Group’s analysis.