NEW YORK – Nearly half of New Yorkers have approved of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s job performance since she took office, according to a new poll. Plus, he could easily win the 2022 gubernatorial race, even if Andrew Cuomo participates.
But at the same time, fewer than four in ten New Yorkers say the state is heading in the right direction, the second-lowest number in the past decade.
Those are the findings of a new survey of Marist Poll, released Tuesday, which offers the most detailed look yet at how Hochul has fared since Cuomo’s resignation in late August, and how much opposition he faces to win a full term next year.
Hochul has an approval rating of 49% of New York residents, with 31% disapproval and 20% doubts, according to the survey. His approval rating matches Cuomo’s earlier this year, but is substantially lower than his during the summer of 2020, when the former governor was at the peak of his popularity in the pandemic era.
In a three-way primary with Attorney General Letitia James and New York City Ombudsman Jumaane Williams, Hochul would easily win, 44% to 28% for James and 15% for Williams.
But in a four-way race with James, Williams and Cuomo, Hochul would still dominate, at 36%, compared to 24% for James, 19% for Cuomo and 9% for Williams.
Cuomo’s team insists the former governor has no intention of running again. People seem to be okay with it; 77% of the adults in the Marist survey said they don’t want to see him run again. Even in his usual strongholds, New York City and non-white voters, a Cuomo comeback does not garner even 30% support.
The telephone survey of 822 adults was conducted from October 4-7 and has a margin of error of 4.8 percentage points. Within the sample, there were 389 registered Democrats, with a margin of error in that group of 6.9 percentage points.
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