NEW YORK — A new poll by Siena College shows Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul leading Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin by 17 points.
“Hochul continues to hold a strong double-digit lead over Zeldin, holding her base with support from 81% of Democrats, same as in August. Zeldin has support from 77% of Republicans, down from 84%, and continues to lead narrowly with independent voters, 45-42%,” Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg said in a press release. “Zeldin’s narrow lead among independents is both good – it’s a lead – and bad – it’s narrow. To close or even narrow a 17-point gap, he would need to win a far greater share of independents, solidify Republican support, as well as pick off some more Democrats.
“Not surprisingly, Hochul dominates in New York City, leads by five points in the downstate suburbs, after trailing there by three points in August, while upstaters break virtually even,” Greenberg said. “Hochul has a commanding two-to-one lead, 61-29% with women, and has a narrow 48-44% lead with men. White voters side with Hochul by 10 points, Latinos by 25 points and Blacks by 68 points.”
According to the poll, Hochul has a 47-40% favorability rating and 53-42% job approval rating, while the poll shows Zeldin having a negative 31-33% favorability rating.
Voters were also asked what the most important issues are in determining how they will vote in November. The two top concerns were economic issues and threats to our democracy.
“Economic issues are one of the top two most important for 50% of voters as they determine who to support in November. Threats to democracy and crime are the next most important issues for voters – for Republicans, crime comes second, while democracy is second for Democrats and independents. National gun policy, abortion and healthcare are important but second tier issues for most voters,” Greenberg said.
You can read the full poll results here: https://scri.siena.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/SNY-September-2022-Poll-Release-9-28-22-FINAL.pdf
