Alvin Bragg’s campaign touts poll showing most New Yorkers are concerned about crime, but don’t blame him

Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg’s reelection campaign is touting a poll they commissioned that found that the majority of Democratic primary voters see crime as a major concern, but most don’t place the blame on lenient district attorneys.

The survey, which polled 568 likely Democratic primary voters in Manhattan, found that 56% of respondents described crime as out-of-control or a major problem. A quarter of those attributed the crime rate to “poor management by the mayor” while 22% blamed district attorneys for allowing too many crimes to go unprosecuted. Roughly 21% blamed bail reform, and 13% attributed it to too few police on the street. (The margin of error in the poll is 4 percentage points.)

Crime and public safety are continually top concerns among voters in polls, though major crimes have trended down after spiking during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Something Bragg’s campaign is notably not highlighting? His historic 2024 conviction of Donald Trump. There’s barely a mention of Bragg’s 34-count hush money case against Trump on his website – and pollsters didn’t include Bragg’s victory against Trump in their summary of accomplishments shared with prospective voters.

The poll, which was conducted by Boston-based Beacon Research between April 9-13, put Bragg head-and-shoulders above his primary challenger Patrick Timmins. Before being supplied with positive information about Bragg’s record, 58% of respondents said they would vote for him. Timmins, a longshot candidate, still managed to get 18%. A former Bronx prosecutor, Timmins has suggested he will target Bragg as being weak on fare evasion. Twenty-four percent of respondents in the poll were undecided. 

After being prompted with Bragg’s stated accomplishments – including a mental health iniative targeting repeat offenders and creating a division for victims of sexual assault and domestic violence – Bragg’s support unsurprisingly grew. But in 2024, Bragg became the first prosecutor ever to secure a conviction against a U.S. president when a jury found Trump guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records. (Trump has appealed the ruling and tried to move it to federal court.) The conviction, which boosted Bragg’s profile around the country – and earned him right-wing scorn – was not included in the poll’s list of accomplishments.

The campaign did not comment on that.

In addition to the primary challenge from Timmins, conservative activist Maud Maron is planning to run as a Republican.