Poll: Sondergaard Smittcamp's lead growing over Egan in DA race

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- An upset is shaping up in the race for Fresno County District Attorney. With three days to go until Election Day, Lisa Sondergaard Smittcamp has a 21-point lead, according to the latest Action News poll conducted by SurveyUSA. Sondergaard Smittcamp sees the poll as a sign that her message is resonating with voters.

But the campaign of Elizabeth Egan says the numbers are flawed, and Egan is putting her faith in the voters.

She's served three terms in office, but Fresno County District Attorney Elizabeth Egan is looking like the underdog in the race against her former employee, Lisa Sondergaard Smittcamp, who served as a deputy DA for 12 years.

The exclusive Action News poll conducted by SurveyUSA shows 33 percent of those asked would vote for Egan, while 54 percent would vote for Sondergaard Smittcamp; 13 percent were undecided. The challenger has maintained Egan hasn't done a good job, and believes the poll results show the public got the message.

"We've been working really hard to try to get that information to the voters so that they can make an informed decision, and I think the polls are indicative of the fact that Fresno County is ready for a change in the DA's office," said Sondergaard Smittcamp.

Egan was not available to speak with Action News on camera, but her campaign issued a statement disputing the poll results:

"Automated polling is notoriously inaccurate, especially in low turnout elections, and has a history of being wrong by wide margins in Fresno area races."

The poll shows Sondergaard Smittcamp's lead jumped eight points since a similar poll three weeks ago.

Action News legal and political analyst Tony Capozzi says the gap is surprising, especially since Sondergaard Smittcamp's campaign focused on complaints about how Egan ran the office, rather than any public dissatisfaction.

"I didn't think that was a major enough issue for the public to see, but the way the campaign is run, it's taken a course of its own," said Capozzi.

Both sides have spent big on campaign advertising and the survey shows it has paid off for the challenger.

Fifty-one percent believed Sondergaard Smittcamp is toughest on crime, while only 33 percent thought Egan is tougher.

Despite the poll, Egan's campaign office told Action News she is feeling great about the campaign and trusts the voters to make the right choice on Tuesday.