NY Gov. Cuomo Remains Ahead of Actress Cynthia Nixon in Poll

Cynthia Nixon has taken a bite out of Andrew Cuomo’s steel-trap lead in his bid for re-election – but the New York governor still remains way ahead of the "Sex and the City" star, a new Quinnipiac University Poll reveals.

"Cynthia Nixon is a nuisance to Gov. Andrew Cuomo as he seeks a third term, but at this stage she is not running strong enough to make either the Democratic Primary or General Election challenge successful," said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac survey.

"Only half the electorate knows her. And in a 3-way race that includes Republican Marc Molinaro, Gov. Cuomo does about as well as his two challengers combined."

The poll of 1,076 New York State voters conducted from April 26 - May 1, found:

With almost equal support from men and women, Cuomo tops Nixon 50 percent to 28 percent in a Democratic primary as he seeks a third term.

Democratic women back Cuomo 49 percent to 24 percent, with 27 percent undecided.

Men back the governor 51 percent to 34 percent, with 15 percent undecided.

In a 2-way General Election matchup, Cuomo buries Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro 57 percent to 26 percent.

Cuomo leads 89 percent to 4 percent among Democrats; 47 percent to 27 percent among independent voters, 50 percent to 34 percent among men and 63 percent to 20 percent among women.

Molinaro takes Republicans 72 percent to 17 percent.

If Nixon is on the November ballot as the Working Families Party candidate, Cuomo's support drops to 40 percent, with 23 percent for Molinaro and 20 percent for Nixon.

In other findings by the independent Quinnipiac poll:

• New York State voters approve 54 percent to 39 percent of the job Gov. Cuomo is doing, his highest approval rating since a 58 percent to 32 percent score in 2014
• Voters say 67 percent to 29 percent that Cuomo has strong leadership qualities, voters say 67 percent to 29 percent.
• Voters say 51 - 43 percent that Cuomo cares about their needs and problems
• Only 46 percent of voters say he is honest and trustworthy, while 45 percent say he is not.
• Voters prefer 60 percent to 29 percent a governor who has experience in politics rather than someone new to politics.

Nixon, a political novice best known for her portrayal of Miranda Hobbes in the HBO series which ran from 1998 to 2004, launched her Democratic primary campaign against Cuomo six weeks ago, declaring, "Our leaders are letting us down. We are now the most unequal state in the entire country, with both incredible wealth and extreme poverty."

The Quinnipiac University Poll has a margin of error of  5.7 percentage points. The poll conducts nationwide public opinion surveys, and statewide polls in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Ohio, Virginia, Iowa, Colorado and Texas as a public service and for research.

• Nancy Pelosi Endorses Cuomo for Re-election Over Cynthia Nixon
• New York Plastic Bag Ban Proposed by Andrew Cuomo