New York Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul is leading among potential Democratic gubernatorial candidates for next year’s election in a new poll carried out by co/efficient.
The poll asked likely Democratic primary voters whether they would support Hochul, who is set to become the New York governor next week after Andrew Cuomo’s resignation goes into effect, New York Attorney General Letitia James, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio or someone else in the gubernatorial primary if it were held today.
In the survey, 28% backed Hochul, 24% supported James, 5% de Blasio, 14% chose someone else and 29% said they are undecided.
Other results from the survey include:
- Hochul receives 34% and James 32% in a direct match-up between the two, while 34% said they were unsure of how they would vote in such a scenario.
- Hochul has a 42% favorable rating among likely Democratic primary voters, and a 9% unfavorable rating, with 48% saying they are unsure.
- James has a 57% favorable rating and an 11% unfavorable one, with 32% saying they are unsure.
- De Blasio’s unfavorable rating was 47%, nearly double his 24% favorable rating, with 33% saying they were unsure.
The survey was conducted amid a shake-up in New York politics following Cuomo’s announcement that he would resign after James’ office released a bombshell report that said Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women and violated state and federal laws, The Hill reported.
The report also said that the governor and some of his aides retaliated against one woman who came forward with allegations against Cuomo.
Cuomo’s resignation opened the field for New York’s gubernatorial contest next year, as before the scandal he was slated to run for reelection.
Hochul announced last week that she intends to run for a full term in 2022.
Neither James nor de Blasio have yet announced their intentions for the election.
The poll, conducted August 15 and 16, surveyed 814 likely Democratic primary voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.43 percentage points.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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