New York Governor Kathy Hochul is facing a significant decline in her favorability ratings, according to a recent Siena College poll. The poll reveals that only 34% of likely New York voters have a favorable opinion of Hochul, compared to 39% for former President Donald Trump. This puts Hochul’s net favorability at -20%, lower than Trump’s -18%.
Interestingly, a larger percentage of respondents said they didn’t know or didn’t have an opinion of Hochul (12%), compared to only 4% for Trump. Despite this, Hochul’s numbers have continued to decline, even after her decision to scrap congestion pricing, her appearance at the Democratic National Convention, and her efforts to support Democrats on the ballot this year.
However, Hochul’s declining popularity hasn’t affected other Democrats on the ballot. Vice President Kamala Harris and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand both hold significant leads over their Republican opponents in New York, according to the Siena survey. In a head-to-head matchup, 55% of respondents said they would choose Harris, while only 42% would choose Trump. This indicates that New Yorkers trust Harris more than Trump on issues like abortion, democracy, and the economy, and they trust them equally on immigration.
The survey also found that the debate between Trump and Harris had a significant impact on voter preferences. While a plurality of voters (43%) said the debate did not affect their vote in November, 37% said it made them more likely to support Harris than Trump.
In terms of the suburban counties in New York, Trump holds a slight edge over Harris in Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, Nassau, and Suffolk Counties. In these areas, 50% of respondents said they would back Trump, compared to 48% for Harris.
As for Senator Gillibrand, she is expected to have a comfortable win over her Republican opponent, Mike Sapraicone. The poll shows that 54% of respondents would vote for Gillibrand, while only 31% would vote for Sapraicone. It is worth noting that a significant 84% of respondents said they didn’t know or had no opinion of Sapraicone.
Overall, the Siena College poll highlights the decline in Governor Kathy Hochul’s favorability ratings, while also indicating the strong support for Vice President Kamala Harris and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand among New York voters. These findings suggest that Hochul may need to work on improving her image and gaining the trust of the electorate in order to boost her favorability ratings.
