Governor’s Favorability Rating Falls
By Hank Russell
Despite trailing by double digits, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman has made inroads in his run for governor as he has been chipping away at Kathy Hochul’s lead, according to a new poll from Siena University Research Institute.
According to the poll, Blakeman, running on the GOP ticket, trails Democrat incumbent Hochul by 20 points, 51%-31%. However, his deficit shrank from 26 points in January, when Hochul was leading 53%-28%.
Data also shows that Hochul’s favorability rating fell from 49%-40% in January to 46%-42% in February. Blakeman’s favorability rating inched up last month to 21%-18% to 18%-20% the previous month. Sixty-one percent said that they have not heard or have no opinion on him.
Hochul’s job approval dipped slightly to 53% last month, compared to 54% in January, according to the poll. Her disapproval numbers remained the same at 41%. When asked how the Hochul administration’s actions have affected their families’ financial situation, 20% said their finances have improved — down from 23% the previous month — while 32% said theirs have worsened, which is down from 33% in January. Those who said their financial condition remained unchanged rose from 35% in January to 39% in February.
In addition, 42% of those polled last month said New York is on the right track, a decrease from 43% in January. Those who said that the state is headed in the wrong direction went up slightly from 45% in January to 46% the following month.