Democratic Hopeful For NYC Mayor Christine Quinn Ahead In The Polls, Unveils New Ad Campaign Thursday

According to recent polls for November's New York City mayoral race, former Rep. Anthony Weiner has been the leading Democratic nominee, but a new poll released on Thursday shows that things are shaking up a bit.

A New York Times/Sienna College survey was released Thursday morning and according to these newest numbers, City Council speaker Christine Quinn now leads the race.

According to this poll, Quinn has received 27 percent of the vote of New York City Democrats, with Weiner trailing at 18 percent. Other candidates are lagging behind significantly, with William Thompson and Bill de Blasio both holding 11 percent of the vote and the remaining candidates holding single digit percentages.

"With the support of more than one-quarter of Democrats, Quinn has a significant nine-point lead over Weiner, her closest competitor," said Steven Greenberg, Sienna College pollster in a statement. "With a commanding Manhattan lead and two-to-five point leads in the outer boroughs, Quinn is in a strong position to make the runoff."

The New York Times/Sienna College poll was held over a period from July 9 - 15. It includes 1,010 registered New York City voters, including 610 registered Democrats.

According to a report from CNN, if Quinn goes on to win the general election in November, she will be New York City's first female and openly homosexual mayor.

Quinn boasts another first, at least for this election. She's the first Democratic candidate to unveil a major television ad campaign, ahead of the September primaries. The campaign makes its first run on Thursday.

Yahoo! News reports that the 30-second spot will air on the city's four network affiliates and on cable TV. The ad features young families, firefighters and children and seems to push her as a more accessible candidate, playing on her work toward working class families.

"Middle class and working families are the heart of New York, and they're who I fight for every day," Quinn says in the ad. "While others talk about fighting for the middle class, I've been doing it."