Cuomo’s favorability drops below 50 percent for first time in new poll

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 July 2015 at 12:00 am

For the first time since he became governor in January 2011, Andrew Cuomo’s favorability among the public has dropped below 50 percent, according to a new Siena College poll.

The governor’s favorability numbers have fallen to 49 percent in favor and 44 percent not in favor in the latest poll. Cuomo’s favorability is 63-31 among Democrats and 36-62 among Republicans. Upstate residents give him a 40-58 favorability rating.

“For the first time as Governor – and the first time since June 2007 – Cuomo’s favorability rating dips below 50 percent,” said Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg said in a statement. “Similarly, it’s the first time 60 percent say he’s doing a fair or poor job as Governor, compared to less than 40 percent of voters rating his job as excellent or good. While voters give the Governor a positive – though not overwhelmingly strong – grade on his handling of the recent prison break and a mixed grade on making the state more business friendly, they give him negative grades on six other issues.”

Those six issues include improving the state’s economy, protecting New York City tenants’ rights, handling the 2015 legislative session, balancing upstate and downstate needs, improving the quality of public education, and reducing corruption in state government.

Cuomo does the worst with reducing corruption, according to the poll, with just 20 percent of voters giving him a positive rating, while 74 percent give him a negative rating.

This Siena Poll was conducted July 6-9 with phone calls to 802 New York State registered voters.

For more on the poll, click here.