By Heather Grossmann
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
Despite a massive campaign war chest that has allowed him to outspend his rival 16 to 1, Mayor Michael Bloomberg's lead over Democratic rival Comptroller William Thompson has shrunk to eight points, according to a new poll.
The mayor’s campaign filings on Friday revealed that he had spent $64.8 to date — double the amount he spent during his first run for office in 2001.
Thompson has spent $3.8 million.
In a mayoral forum hosted by the Working Families Party in July, Bloomberg answered a question about his outsize campaign spending with, "Let me point out, rich people don’t always win."
The poll, conducted by SurveyUSA for WABC-NY, has given the Thompson campaign reason to believe that may be true.
It calls Thompson a contender in the mayor's race, referring to him as "strong opposition" to Bloomberg.
But there is some doubt as to the veracity of the survery's findings.
Politickerny.com reported that Howard Wolfson, Bloomberg's campaign spokesperson, said the poll was not as accurate as the others that have been conducted this season.
A Sept. 24 Quinnipiac Poll had Bloomberg leading by 16 points.
The poll released today has a margin of error of +/- 4.2 percent. Quinnipiac's margin is listed at +/- 2.5 percent.
