Bill De Blasio, Joe Lhota, Candidates for NYC Mayor, Recognized By Only About Half of New Yorkers

New York magazine asked a hundred New Yorkers to pick the two out of lineups

clockwise: NYC, MTA, CNBC, Dept. of Education

As noted on Reason 24/7, New York magazine had an intern run an informal survey of a hundred New Yorkers to find out how many could recognize Bill de Blasio, the Democratic nominee for mayor, and Joe Lhota, the Republican.

A photo of De Blasio (on the top left in the image to the right) was paired with Education Secretary Arne Duncan, Jets head coach Rex Ryan, CNN's John King, and a random stock-photo guy. Only 50 percent of New Yorkers asked could identify the right picture as that of De Blasio's despite a highly competitive  Arne Duncan (on the bottom left) was the most popular wrong answer, being identified as De Blasio 20 percent of the time.

Lhota (on the top right in the image on the right) was put up with CNBC's Jim Cramer, Federal Reserve chair Ben Bernanke, comedian Louis CK, and a stock photo guy. Despite a sleepier GOP primary, Lhota fared slightly better, being correctly identified 55 percent of the time. Cramer was the most popular wrong answer, also getting identified as Lhota 20 percent of the time.

Read Matt Welch on why Joe Lhota might be pretty dang libertarian here, and Ira Stoll on why Bill de Blasio is New York's Obama here

Comments

[playa manhattan]

19 year old poses as cop to cut in line to buy GTA 5, flashes badge to get into mall. He and his friends are pulled over driving police auction vehicle that is equipped with lights and siren. Faces up to a year in jail for impersonating:
http://nypost.com/2013/09/17/l.....av-sooner/

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

Dumbasses, but they won't get jail time. Probably just a fine and community service.

[Paul.]

The same penalty a cop gets for erroneously shooting an unarmed person? No fucking way.

[Agammamon]

They won't serve time because one is a reserve officer and one is the son of a cop.

[Paul.]

Ira Stoll on why Bill de Blasio is New York's Obama here

Welcome to the Mayor's office, Mr. de Blasio. On your desk, you'll find three envelopes Mr. Bloomberg left you.

[paranoid android]

comedian CK Lewis,

Louis C.K.'s parallel-universe counterpart?

[Paul.]

Less successful cousin.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Stupid idiots don't know enough to get caught with hookers on the internet, that's not my fault.

[SweatingGin]

Crammer looks like hell.

[Jon Lester]

If we had ballots like they do in Afghanistan, with photos, I wonder how well stock photo guys would do?

[Scarecrow Repair]

Not 50%. If there were four possibilities, pure random choice would have given 25% of the vote. If he got 50%, that seems to me more likely that only 25% recognized him. But it's likely some of the people knew only that he was bald and just picked him by chance.

Or else my stats have gotten really rusty.

[JW]

Cramer was the most popular wrong answer

Pretty much.

[JeremyR]

Romney was basically a stock photo guy.