A majority of New Yorkers say they plan to support Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo for re-election this year, a new poll has found.
According to a
survey by the Siena Research Institute conducted Jan. 12-16, 57 percent of respondents say they would vote to re-elect him should he choose to announce a bid, while 33 percent say they would prefer another candidate, including Donald Trump at 38 percent and Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino at 14 percent.
The poll was taken before Cuomo sparked outrage with his comment that conservative Republicans and pro-lifers have "no place" in New York.
"Right-to-life, pro-assault weapons, anti-gay — if that's who they are, they have no place in the state of New York because that's not who New Yorkers are," Cuomo
told Albany's The Capitol Pressroom radio show Friday.
The survey of 808 registered voters also found that 66 percent view Cuomo favorably — a five point increase since November — compared to 28 percent who hold a negative view of him. Also, 54 percent compared to 46 percent give him a positive job approval rating, his strongest figure in 11 months.
"As he enters his re-election year, Cuomo is sitting pretty. His favorability rating is the strongest it's been since February. His job performance rating is the best it's been since March. And more voters are prepared to re-elect him than at any time since last January," said Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg.
"Looking toward November, Cuomo currently crushes both Astorino, who's unknown to three-quarters of voters, and Trump, who is viewed unfavorably by 57 percent of voters. Neither Trump nor Astorino garners the support of a majority of Republicans, and both trail among independents by more than 40 points," Greenberg added.