Councilmember Muriel Bowser has a solid lead over two other top candidates for mayor, according to the first poll conducted after the April primary not paid for by a campaign.

In a Washington Post-NBC4-Marist poll of likely voters, 43 percent support Bowser, the Democratic nominee for mayor, while 26 percent went with her Independent challenger, Councilmember David Catania. Former Councilmember Carol Schwartz polled third with 16 percent. Fourteen percent of voters are still undecided.

From the Post:

All three candidates have room to grow. While half of voters said they support their choice “strongly,” 34 percent said they are only “somewhat” supportive and 16 percent said they might vote differently on Election Day. About one in four Democratic likely voters said they currently support Catania, and two in three Democrats overall say they would at least “somewhat seriously” consider voting for a non-Democrat. Among the 34 percent of Democrats who said they would “very seriously” consider not voting with their party, Catania outpaces Bowser by 19 points.

Fifty percent of likely voters had a favorable image of Bowser and Schwartz, while 46 percent felt that way about Catania. Thirty percent said Catania has the “best experience to serve effectively,” while 29 percent felt that way about Bowser and 24 percent about Schwartz.

The results of the today’s pool are radically different from one sponsored by Catania campaign, that showed him in a “statistical dead heat” with Bowser.

The three candidates will face off for the first time during a debate Thursday at American University.