ALBANY, N.Y. — The shine on Governor Andrew Cuomo's popularity during the height of the pandemic is starting to dull among registered voters in New York state following news of how the state handled information regarding nursing homes during the pandemic.
According to a poll conducted by Marist, sixty percent of New Yorkers perceive some wrongdoing by Cuomo in his handling of nursing homes during the pandemic. However, most of those polled, don't say Cuomo did something illegal.
Cuomo and his staff have come under fire recently following a report that COVID deaths in nursing homes were underreported.
Marist also found 39% of New York voters polled don't think Cuomo deserves to be reelected to another term, compared to a poll in April of 2018 that found only 36% of New Yorkers polled didn't think he should be re-elected.
Here are some of the results from the Marist Poll:
- 41% of adults statewide say Cuomo has done something unethical but not illegal in his handling of nursing homes during the pandemic. 19% think he has done something illegal, and 27% think he has done nothing wrong.
- 49% of New Yorkers approve of Cuomo’s job performance, down from 66% in July. 44% disapprove. Non-enrolled voters divide – 44% to 47%. Of note, 28% of Democrats disapprove of how Cuomo is doing his job compared with 9% in the summer.
- 20% of residents strongly approve of Cuomo’s job performance, down from 33% in July. 28%, up from 19%, strongly disapprove.
- 2% of voters say Cuomo is doing an excellent or good job in office, down from 60% in July. Cuomo’s score has reverted back to about what it was prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- 50% of voters have a favorable view of Cuomo, inched down from 54% in 2018. 46% have an unfavorable opinion of him, up from 40%
“Cuomo’s approval rating, which was sky high in the summer, has returned to its pre-pandemic level,” says Dr. Lee M. Miringoff, Director of The Marist Poll. “Should Cuomo decide to seek a fourth term, these results suggest it will be a challenge. That said, his current numbers are comparable to what they were when he faced the voters last time.”
Cuomo's Senior Advisor Rich Azzopardi issued this statement Tuesday afternoon: "Yesterday's Morning Consult poll of over 3,000 people had the Governor's approval rating at 57 percent -- the numbers between the various surveys always vary and we remain focused on fighting this pandemic, administering as many vaccines as possible, and safely and smartly reopening our state for all New Yorkers."
You can view the poll numbers here: