LANSING, Mich. — While Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is still taking hits from the media over the recent “Text Scandal,” voters too are wondering what is next for the beleaguered leader.   The latest Rossman Group/Denno-Noor survey showed that if the election were to be held today, only 25 percent of Detroit voters would vote to re-elect the two-term Mayor, while 53 percent, more than half, would vote against Kilpatrick. “Undecided” came in at 17 percent, while five percent responded with “Other.”

The question was worded as follows:

“Among those who voted for Kwame Kilpatrick in 2005, a little more than half – 56 percent – would vote for him again, while 29 percent would now opt to vote against the mayor,” said Denno-Noor President Dennis Denno.

Even though they may not be voting for him in the 2009 Election, voters were split on the issue of Kilpatrick’s resignation.  In fact, 43 percent of city voters felt that the Mayor should resign, while 40 percent felt that he should not resign – 12 percent were “Undecided” and 5 percent indicated “Other.”

The question was worded as follows:

“In light of the stories surrounding Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his alleged relationship with his Chief of Staff, who announced her resignation as a result of the controversy, do you think Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick should resign as Mayor of the city of Detroit?”

 Voters were next asked if they had confidence in the Mayor’s ability to effectively lead the city while dealing with this issue. A plurality of voters, 48 percent, felt that the Mayor would be able to continue working well with leaders in Lansing and in metro-Detroit, with 39 percent indicating that he would not be able to work effectively – 10 percent were unsure and three percent replied “Other.”

The question was worded as follows:“In light of controversies surrounding Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, do you think he will be able to work effectively with the Detroit City Council and other elected officials in metro-Detroit and Lansing?”

The statewide survey was conducted by Denno-Noor Research in partnership with The Rossman Group, recently named Lansing’s Most Effective Public Relations Firm by a survey of political insiders.

Voters were also asked which candidate they would support in the 2009 Election if Mayor Kilpatrick were not on the ballot. The results showed the race to be wide open:                       

Dennis Archer                          15%                       

Freeman Hendrix                      13%                       

Ken Cockrel, Jr.                       12%                       

Kym Worthy                            10%                       

Joann Watson                           6%                       

Sharon McPhail                        6%                       

Unsure                                     25%                       

Other                                       12%                       

“In general, voter dissatisfaction with the Mayor increases with age, while younger voters provide his biggest base of support. Also, the Mayor also has trouble among Detroit’s white voters, who make up 11 percent of the city’s vote,” added Denno. “Among white voters, 66 percent think that the Mayor should resign.”

“While there is no clear choice for a successor for Kwame, what is important to note is that, as of today, with only 25 percent of city voters indicating they would vote to re-elect the Mayor, there is likely to be a successor,” said Kelly Rossman-McKinney, CEO of The Rossman Group.  “However, let’s not under-estimate Mayor Kilpatrick – giving him almost two years to prepare for an election is like giving New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick two weeks to prepare for a Super Bowl.” 

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