LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. — A new Siena College Poll shows that New York Gov. Kathy Hochul currently has a 14-point lead over Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin. The poll, conducted by the Siena Research Institute at Siena College, was released on Tuesday just three months ahead of Election Day.
According to the Siena Poll, Gov. Hochul has a 46-41% favorability rating, while Zeldin has a 31-28% favorability rating.
“Less than 100 days until election day, Hochul has a solid 14-point lead over Zeldin, a reflection of the Democrats’ large enrollment advantage in New York. Hochul and Zeldin are both holding their parties, as she leads among Democrats 81-12% and he leads among Republicans 84-12%. Independents narrowly tilt toward Zeldin, 44-42%,” said Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg.
“Hochul dominates in New York City, leading by nearly 50 points, while Zeldin has slim three-point leads both upstate and in the downstate suburbs. The gender gap is wide, as men are evenly divided, and women favor Hochul 59-33%. While white and Latino voters favor Hochul by six and eight points, respectively, Black voters support Hochul 78-8%.”
The latest Siena Poll also revealed that a majority of voters oppose the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, with 62% against the decision and 25% against it. In addition, 74% of voters say that abortion "should be always or mostly legal, as opposed to always or mostly illegal."
In terms of gun laws, 82% of the those surveyed for the poll say they would "support a new law expanding eligibility requirements for obtaining a permit to carry a concealed weapon – including background checks with character references and safety training." Fifteen-percent disagreed.
“Support for the new law expanding eligibility requirements to obtain a permit to carry a concealed weapon – background checks with character references and firearms safety training courses – is through the roof with all demographic groups. In fact, the ‘lowest’ support is with conservatives, who favor the new law 71-27%,” Greenberg said. “There is also strong support for prohibiting concealed weapons in sensitive locations, 60-34%, and requiring private businesses to have a sign if they allow concealed weapons on their premises, 63-32%.”
