KING 5 Poll: "Seattle mayor's race in virtual tie"

KING 5:

The race for Seattle Mayor is a virtual tie the day before the election, according to the final KING 5 News poll before votes are counted.

The poll, conducted over the weekend by SurveyUSA, has Joe Mallahan ahead of Mike McGinn, 45 percent to 43 percent, with 12 percent still undecided. With a margin of error of ± 4.1 percent, it’s anybody's race.

Neither is surprised that the race is so close.

"I've always considered this a dead heat. It's the only way to run a campaign, so we've been working hard every day, every hour of the day," said Mallahan.

"I'm just pushing, just trying to sprint through the finish line right here. Keep talking to voters. Keep reaching out to voters. Keep the spirits of the team high. So, I'm not really nervous at all," said McGinn.

Twelve days ago, Mallahan had a seven point lead. Since then, Mallahan has gained 2 percent of the vote while McGinn has gained 7 percent.

This is the first poll taken since McGinn announced he would not try to block construction of the waterfront tunnel to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct. Until that announcement, the tunnel issue was the most notable difference between McGinn and Mallahan.

Mallahan, a T-Mobile executive, is notably ahead among older voters, Republicans, moderates and those with higher incomes. McGinn has the advantage among younger voters, liberals and those with lower incomes.

The survey polled 586 people who have either already mailed in their ballots or those who are likely to vote.