Political poll on Bloomington mayor, Hopewell South, other city issues circulates by text

This was one of the questions in the poll that has been circulated to Bloomington area residents in the last few days. The image is a screen grab of a version of the poll formatted by The B Square. A poll with questions about Bloomington politics has been circulated by text message to Bloomington area residents at least since Tuesday night (April 14). As of Friday afternoon, the poll was still live. The name of the polling organization indicated by the URL link in the initial text message is Pollus . That’s a firm based in Washington, D.C., which conducts polling and survey research through online, text, and other methods. In addition to basic demographic questions, like age, gender, education level and race, the poll includes questions about Bloomington mayor Kerry Thomson’s job performance. Among the performance questions in the poll are items about the city’s unhoused population, affordable housing, and crime. The poll also asks respondents whether they think Bloomington city government is “running fine,” “needs small reforms,” or is “fundamentally broken.” Another section of the questionnaire asks respondents whether Bloomington leaders should “take time to plan, debate and build agreement” or instead “act quickly to deliver solutions.” The survey also includes a "trial-heat" question, asking how the respondent would vote if the Democratic Party’s primary election for mayor of Bloomington were held today. Thomson is a Democrat. The poll also asks respondents about their attitudes toward the Hopewell South development proposal. The Hopewell South PUD is again on the Bloomington city council’s agenda for next Wednesday night (April 22). Also in the mix are questions that measure favorability of opinions about the two candidates for Monroe County commissioner in the Democratic Party’s primary this year. Vying for that nomination in the May 5 primary are Trent Deckard and David Henry. The B Square has extracted the poll questions and included them at the end of this article. As a group, the questions resemble the kind of early campaign research typically used by candidates to measure voter satisfaction with current leadership and gauge attitudes toward potential campaign issues. The B Square has paid for professional polling in the past, but the poll in current circulation was not commissioned by The B Square. Thomson did not explicitly confirm to The B Square that it was her campaign that commissioned the poll. Responding to a B Square text asking, “Is that a survey you or your team commissioned?” Thomson replied: “Thanks for reaching out. We’re starting to prepare for next year’s city elections and doing the usual groundwork—fundraising, building a team, and continuing to gather input from Bloomington residents.” Thomson’s 2025 year-end CFA-4 finance report shows that in 2025, the second year of her four-year term, her fundraising efforts yielded $54,791.51 in donations. After expenditures, that left her campaign with $127,642.99 in cash on hand at the end of the year. By way of comparison, in the second year of his final term in 2021, then-mayor John Hamilton raised $23,419, which left his campaign with $48,681 cash on hand after expenditures. Polls like the one in current circulation can cost between $5,000 and $7,000. According to Thomson’s 2025 year-end filing, she listed 17 donors who gave more than $1,000. The largest contribution was $7,500 from the Ice Miller PAC in Indianapolis. Ice Miller LLP is a large Indianapolis-based law firm with more than 300 lawyers and offices in several U.S. cities. Only $16,249 of Thomson’s $54,791 total in 2025, or about 29.7%, came from Bloomington addresses, according to the campaign finance report. [ dynamic map of contributions ] The figures from the filing have been compiled by The B Square into a shared Google Sheet . Thomson has scheduled a fundraiser for May 13, 2026, which falls after the May 5 primary election. NOT A LIVE SURVEY! Bloomington Survey Indiana Opinion Surveys is conducting a scientific research study of Bloomington residents. Your personal information will not be shared with anyone, and all responses will be used for research purposes only. These first few questions are just to make sure we are surveying a representative sample of the entire community. Question 1 Which of the following best describes your age? 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Question 2 Are you: A man A woman Something else / I use a different term Question 3 What is the highest level of education you have fully completed? Some high school or less High school graduate or GED Some college, vocational or post-secondary credit, or an Associates degree Four year or Bachelor’s Degree Postgraduate or advanced degree Question 4 How would you describe your race or ethnicity? White or Caucasian Hispanic or Latino Black or African American Native American or Alaska Native Asian or Pacific Islander Mixed race or multi-racial Other Question 5 When it comes to politics, do you consider yourself to be: A strong Democrat A not-so-strong Democrat An independent, lean more towards the Democratic party An independent, no lean whatsoever An independent, lean more towards the Republican party A not-so-strong Republican A strong Republican Question 6 Regardless of how you feel about the candidates today, back in the 2024 election for president, who did you vote for? Democrat Kamala Harris Republican Donald Trump A third-party candidate Did not vote in this election Question 7 Politically speaking, would you say you are... Very conservative Somewhat conservative Moderate Somewhat liberal/progressive Very liberal/progressive Democratic Socialist Question 8 There will be a general election in November this year for congress, Indiana Secretary of State, and other state offices. How likely are you to vote in that election? Almost certain Very likely Probably Not very likely Not likely at all Question 9 Next, here are some public figures and groups you may know. Please indicate if you have a very favorable, somewhat favorable, neutral, somewhat unfavorable, or very unfavorable opinion of each one. If you haven’t heard the name, please select that option. Matt Pierce Very favorable Somewhat favorable Neutral Somewhat unfavorable Very unfavorable Never heard of them Lilliana Young Very favorable Somewhat favorable Neutral Somewhat unfavorable Very unfavorable Never heard of them David Henry Very favorable Somewhat favorable Neutral Somewhat unfavorable Very unfavorable Never heard of them Trent Deckard Very favorable Somewhat favorable Neutral Somewhat unfavorable Very unfavorable Never heard of them Kerry Thomson Very favorable Somewhat favorable Neutral Somewhat unfavorable Very unfavorable Never heard of them Bloomington City Council Very favorable Somewhat favorable Neutral Somewhat unfavorable Very unfavorable Never heard of them Question 10 Even though it is a long time from now, how likely are you to vote in the May 2027 primary elections for Bloomington Mayor? I will likely vote in the May 2027 Republican primary I will likely vote in the May 2027 Democratic primary I probably won’t vote in either of these primary elections Question 11 Next, even though it’s a long time from now, if the Democratic primary election for Mayor of Bloomington were held today, how would you vote? I would vote to re-elect Mayor Kerry Thomson Undecided, but I lean towards Mayor Kerry Thomson Undecided, but I lean towards some other Democrat I would vote for some other Democrat Completely undecided – no lean whatsoever Question 12 What have you seen, heard, or read lately about Mayor Kerry Thomson and Bloomington city government? We read every response, so the more detail the better! Open-ended response box Question 13 When it comes to Bloomington’s city government, do you think it is: Basically running fine and needs no significant adjustments Not running well but only needs small reforms Fundamentally broken and needs large structural reforms Completely unsure – no opinion whatsoever Question 14 Which of the following comes closest to your view? Bloomington city leaders should take time to plan, debate and build agreement, even if it delays solutions on top priorities. Bloomington city leaders should act quickly to deliver solutions on top priorities, even if the process is not quite perfect. Completely unsure – no opinion whatsoever Question 15 What are one or two concerns or issues you would like Bloomington’s city government to address? Again, we read every response so please share your thoughts. Open-ended response box Question 16 Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with how Mayor Kerry Thomson is doing in each of the following areas? Addressing Bloomington’s unhoused population Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Strongly dissatisfied Not sure Handling crime and public safety Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Strongly dissatisfied Not sure Restoring trust in city government Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Strongly dissatisfied Not sure Being accessible and visible in our communities Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Strongly dissatisfied Not sure Supporting Bloomington’s economy Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Strongly dissatisfied Not sure Taking action and making progress on city projects Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Strongly dissatisfied Not sure Increasing the availability of homes people can afford to rent or buy Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Strongly dissatisfied Not sure Prioritizing the right things Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Strongly dissatisfied Not sure Question 17 Which of the following is more important for Bloomington? Building more housing options regular people can afford to buy or rent Protecting the character of neighborhoods from change and overdevelopment Completely unsure – no opinion whatsoever Question 18 How much have you seen or heard about the Hopewell South proposal, the proposed redevelopment plan of the former IU Health Bloomington Hospital site? A lot Some, but not a lot A little Nothing at all Question 19 Overall, do you support or oppose the Hopewell South proposal? Strongly support Somewhat support Somewhat oppose Strongly oppose Completely unsure – no opinion whatsoever Question 20 Lastly, do you own or rent the place where you live? Own Rent Staying with family or friends That completes our survey. Thank you VERY MUCH for your time.