BUFFALO, N.Y. — In times of gridlock and dysfunction, New York Republicans and Democrats are in rare agreement.
“On some of her proposals, there's a lot of common ground between Republicans and Democrats in New York City and upstate,” political analyst Carl Calabrese said.
According to the latest Siena Poll, Democrats and Republicans are on the same page on five of Gov. Hochul’s seven State of the State proposals, sharing similar opinions on topics that range from income taxes and minimum wage to bail reform.
But despite the uncommon bipartisanship, experts say they’re not surprised.
“I think public safety and saving folks money, however, that happens, are broadly popular among both parties,” political analyst Jessica Schuster said. “I think that it becomes more of a defined issue when you bring kind of the social context.”
That social context came into play on two of the proposals with reproductive rights and the state’s Climate Action Plan causing both sides to divert back to their party lines.
“That climate action plan is very, very aggressive, and frankly, very far left,” Calabrese said. “And even in this state, there may be aspects of it that people just say no.”
But just because voters feel this way, experts say that doesn’t necessarily mean it will translate to how policymakers will act.
“I would hope that those bodies are responsive to their constituents. I know they are,” Schuster said. “But I think there's a long way to go with the work that needs to be done in Albany before we would see any of these issues actually come up for a vote and possibly be signed into law.”
RELATED: