Two Polls Show Huge Leads for NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo

Two major polls show New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's approval ratings are high as he opens his re-election campaign, with a large majority of New Yorkers saying he deserves a second term.

A Quinnipiac University poll shows the Democrat's approval ratings are 62 percent favorable and 25 percent unfavorable. Meanwhile, a Wall Street Journal/NBC 4/Marist poll shows the Democratic governor ahead of several potential Republican gubernatorial candidates by at least 40 percentage points.

Cuomo's approval rating is up by several points, Quinnipiac says, from June 5, when a poll showed a 53 percent to 30 percent approval rating, his lowest score ever.

But with the most recent Quinnipiac poll, the governor's numbers are up in every region in the state, and even among Republicans, where they climbed from a 49 percent negative ranking on June 5 to a 37 percent negative ranking in the recent report.

Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, a potential Republican challenger, does lead Cuomo by 62 percent to 23 percent among Republicans, but Cuomo was the favorite among other divisions, including age, gender, income, and region.

"Gov. Andrew Cuomo has much for which to be thankful," Quinnipiac University Polling Director Maurice Carroll said. "At midyear, Cuomo was coming off a generally unsatisfying legislative session. His news-making plan to make Roe v. Wade part of state law and his anti-corruption efforts didn't go anywhere. Now his job approval as he heads into the election year is healthy, and a big majority of New Yorkers think he deserves a second term."

New Yorkers, by 59 percent to 31 percent, said Cuomo deserves to be re-elected. The figure includes 81 percent of Democrats, 52 percent of independent voters, and 40 percent of Republicans, the Quinnipiac poll of 1,337 New York voters from Nov. 20 to Nov. 24 revealed.

Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal/NBC 4 New York/Marist Poll, which surveyed 817 adults, including 675 registered voters, Nov. 18-20, shows that "none of Gov. Cuomo's likely challengers are in striking distance," said Dr. Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion.

"But, voters think any plans Cuomo might have for 2016 need to take a back seat until Hillary Clinton declares her intentions."

Cuomo is being pushed by a New York group to seek the Democratic nomination for president in 2016, but he said he's more focused on winning his reelection campaign in 2014. He has been governor of New York since 2010.

The Wall Street Journal/NBC 4 New York/Marist poll shows that Cuomo tops Astorino by 65 percent to 23 percent; former challenger Carl Paladino by 67 percent to 24 percent; and Donald Trump by a 70 percent to 24 percent margin

Fifty-two percent of the voters surveyed approve of the job Cuomo does, the poll said, down slightly from 54 percent in April.

Cuomo's numbers are also down just slightly among his Democratic base, with 63 percent of Democrats thinking well of him, compared with 66 percent in April. However, his numbers are up a bit among Republicans, from 37 percent in April to 39 percent in the current survey.

But while Cuomo is strong in New York as a gubernatorial candidate, many of those polled say that in a race for president he'd come in far behind former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who leads in New York against Democratic opponents by more than four to one.

Cuomo, though, would lead over New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie by a 51 percent to 44 percent spread if both governors end up in the presidential race, the poll said.

Related stories:

• Cuomo Faces Re-Election Bump on Road to 2016
• Poll: Christie Leads Cuomo in New York 2016 Matchup