NEW YORK—A Quinnipiac University Poll released Wednesday morning showed 63 percent of New Yorkers support Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio’s plan to tax the wealthy to pay for universal pre-kindergarten.
Of the 1,337 surveyed, 81 percent of Democrats support, but 58 percent of Republicans oppose the plan.
On Wednesday afternoon, de Blasio called the results an extraordinary vote of confidence.
“People understand if we are going to move forward as a society, we have to focus on early childhood education and we have to focus on after school,” de Blasio said at a food pantry in Bed-Stuy. “What the poll says is this is not just something felt in New York City, but felt all over the state. That will definitely make an impact as the Legislature considers this.”
With Republicans still largely opposed, de Blasio will have some work to do in order to sway the Republican controlled Senate to pass the measure. To help that process, de Blasio said he will put together a team of grassroots organizers over the next few weeks.
The organizers will focus the widespread individual support into a louder, more focused voice for the Legislators to listen to.
“It is about taking this extraordinary public support and organizing it to be felt by members of the legislature,” de Blasio said. “I am confident a lot of upstate leaders will join us.”
