© 2024
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
An update has been released for the Android version of the WAMC App that addresses performance issues. Please check the Google Play Store to download and update to the latest version.

Siena Poll: Cuomo's Favorability Rebounds; Transit And Taxes Big Issues

Composite Image by Dave Lucas

A new Siena College poll shows that while Governor Andrew Cuomo's favorability rating has slightly recovered, mass transit and taxes have rankled New Yorkers.

New Yorkers view Cuomo a tad more positively than they did one month ago.  "56 percent of voters statewide view Andrew Cuomo favorably, compared to 37 percent who view him unfavorably, up a little bit from 52-41 percent last month, so up 4 points on the good side, down 4 points on the bad side, a net 8-point gain, which is good for governor."  Pollster Steve Greenberg says Cuomo's popularity has picked up with downstate voters as he continues to lose ground with upstate voters. The governor's job performance rating stands unchanged from last month.  "43 percent say Andrew Cuomo is doing an excellent or good job as governor, compared to 55 percent who says he's doing only a fair or poor job, exactly the same as it was last month. And when it comes to whether voters are prepared to re-elect Andrew Cuomo should he run for a third term next year, right now a small plurality, 48 percent, says they are prepared to re-elect Cuomo, 44 percent say they would prefer 'someone else.' A slight improvement for the governor there since July when it was 46 to 46."

On specific issues, the second-term Democrat is on the ropes when it comes to mass transit and taxes. "On mass transit, two-thirds of voters say he's doing a negative job compared to only a quarter who give him a positive rating. And on taxes, only 23 percent give him a positive rating, compared to 72 percent, nearly three-quarters, who give him a negative rating."

In the city of Albany, lawn signs have been popping up bearing the message "Say NO to a Constitutional Convention," with many voters just discovering there's going to be a vote on the November ballot. Advocates for a convention have been busy, too.  "Right now 45 percent of New Yorkers, a small plurality of New Yorkers, are prepared to vote 'yes' on a ConCon, compared to 33 percent who said they would vote 'no,' but we still have almost a  quarter of voters who are undecided on this issue."

When it comes to the re-naming of the Tappan Zee Bridge, voters are split.   "44 percent of voters across the state support the new Mario M. Cuomo bridge name, compared to 42 percent who oppose it."  Nevertheless, New Yorkers have faith their government.   "50 percent of New Yorkers say the state is on the right track, compared to 36 percent who say the state is headed in the wrong direction, up from 46 to 40 last month, but what we also see is that big improvements on this number among downstate voters but a continued little slippage among upstate voters."

The Cuomo Administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Siena poll.  The survey of 771 registered voters was conducted from August 26 through 30. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.2 percentage points.

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.
Related Content