Majority want ‘someone else’ other than Hochul for NY governor: Poll

A majority of voters want someone other than New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) to be elected the next governor of the Empire State, according to a new poll. 

The Siena College Poll released Tuesday showed 55 percent said they want “someone else” in next year’s gubernatorial race, while 36 percent said they prefer her. That’s a 10-point net negative shift compared to the same poll from last month, when 39 percent said they preferred her and 48 percent said they wanted someone else. 

The shift is largely fueled by changing views among Republicans and independents, who prefer someone else by larger margins than they did last month. More than 80 percent of Republicans and almost two-thirds of independents said they prefer another candidate this month, compared to the 68 percent of Republicans and 55 percent of independents who said the same in April. 

Democratic support for Hochul remained roughly the same, with 51 percent saying they prefer her. 

Hochul's chances, as she faces the possibility of a contested Democratic primary for renomination, are also more optimistic. In a hypothetical matchup with Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado and Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.), both of whom have been rumored possible candidates, Hochul leads with 46 percent to Delgado’s 12 percent and Torres’s 10 percent. 

Half of all voters approve of the job Hochul is doing as governor, up from 48 percent last month, while 46 percent disapprove. Her favorability rating, reaching net positive last month for the first time in over a year, dropped slightly with 44 percent viewing her favorably and 46 percent viewing her unfavorably. 

“After hitting year-long highs in both Hochul’s favorability and job approval ratings last month, those numbers largely held constant this month, although Republicans, already very negative toward Hochul, turned even more so on both measurements,” Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg said in a release. 

On the Republican side of the ticket, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) has the early lead in a hypothetical GOP primary with 35 percent to 22 percent for Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.). Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman received 11 percent support. 

Before Stefanik was included in the mix last month, Blakeman had a 6-point lead over Lawler. 

The results come as Stefanik has said she’s “strongly considering” a run for governor of New York after her nomination to become United Nations ambassador was withdrawn earlier this year. Lawler and Blakeman have also said they’re thinking of bids, with Lawler expected to announce his decision soon. 

Republicans have been optimistic that they could pull off an upset in the governor’s race next year with Hochul’s favorability struggling and the inroads that the GOP has made in the state in recent years. 

The poll was conducted from May 12 to 15 among 805 registered voters. The margin of error was 4.3 percentage points.