Leads Blakeman, Delgado in Run for Governor
By Hank Russell
A poll that was just released on February 3 by the Siena University Research Institute (SURI) found that Governor Kathy Hochul is enjoying her highest favorability rating thus far and leading her challenges in the race for governor.
Hochul had a favorability rating of 49% last month — the highest ever, according to SURI. That is up from 43% the previous month. Meanwhile, her unfavorability rating has declined slightly from 41% to 40%.
In addition, Hochul leads her gubernatorial opponents by wide margins. In the Democratic primary, she gets 64% of the vote, up from 56%, while her opponent, Antonio Delgado — who once served as her lieutenant governor — receives only 11%, down from 13% in December 2025. Those are the highest numbers Hochul received, and the lowest numbers Delgado received. (The other time Delgado garnered 11% of the vote was in March 2025.) Delgado has a favorability rating of 21%-18%, up from 17%-15% the previous month.
If the race were held today between Hochul and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, Hochul would lead 54%-28%, based on SURI polling data. That is up from December 2025, when it was 50%-25%. Blakeman has an 18% favorability rating — up from 13% in December 2025 and his highest since April 2025 (18%); however, a record-high 20% have an unfavorable view of him.
The poll also showed that a majority of New Yorkers support the governor’s proposals that were laid out in the State of the State and the proposed executive budget. Among them:
- 68% supported eliminating the state income tax on the first $25,000 in earned tips.
- 67% agreed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers cannot enter sensitive locations such as schools, churches and daycare centers unless there is a judicial warrant.
- 66% are in support of increasing funding for childcare by $1.7 billion for a total of $4.5 billion in state funding for childcare and pre-K programs.
- 65% said New Yorkers should be allowed to bring legal action in state courts against federal officers who they claim have violated their constitutional rights.
- 59% supported providing $30 million in direct payments to New York farmers to offset what Hochul calls rising costs due to tariffs.
- 56% agreed that the state Health Department should be required to develop New York’s own immunization requirements for school eligibility and insurance coverage.
Despite these numbers, there are also some troubling signs for Hochul. For example, when asked if they would re-elect the governor or choose someone else, 42% said they would vote for Hochul — tying the record high of November 2025 — but 51% said they would choose someone else.
Her job approval numbers are somewhat mixed. Seventeen percent “strongly approve” of the job she is doing and 37% “somewhat approve” of her job performance. Fifteen percent said they “somewhat disapprove” of her job as governor and 26% “strongly disapprove.”
When asked if the state is on the right track, 43% said it is and 45% said it is going in the wrong direction. In describing New York’s fiscal condition, 5% said it is “excellent,” 22% said it was “good,” 36% considered it to be “fair” and 30% considered the state’s fiscal condition “poor.”