(The Center Square) — Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul has a “commanding” lead over her Republican rival Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, according to a new poll, which shows the incumbent governor’s favorability among key voting blocs is increasing.
The Siena College poll, released Tuesday, shows Hochul leading Blakeman 54% to 28% and highlighted the governor’s increasing support among Democrats and improved favorability ratings statewide.
Hochul is seeking re-election to a second full term and faces a primary challenge from Democratic Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado. Pollsters said Hochul is well positioned to win the June 23 primary with about 60% of Democrats backing her over Delgado.
“As we start the second month of this much watched mid-term election year, Hochul has a commanding lead among registered voters over both Delgado, among Democrats, and Blakeman, with all voters,” Siena pollster Steven Greenberg said in a statement.
Greenberg said while a 49-40% favorability rating is “not generally seen as something to gloat about” Hochul has gained a net of seven points from a previous Siena poll in December. He said it’s noteworthy that “it is the first time in four and a half years as governor that Hochul has had 49% of voters view her favorably.”
“Even though independents continue to view her unfavorably as do an overwhelming majority of Republicans, Democrats view Hochul favorably 69-20%, up from 62-25%, and the best she’s been with Democrats in three years,” he said.
Meanwhile, pollsters found Blakeman struggling to gain support for his recently launched campaign to return the New York governor’s office to Republicans for the first time in two decades.
“Ten months from election day, Blakeman — largely unknown to three in five New York voters — has his work cut out for him,” Greenberg said. “Hochul’s 79-8% lead among Democrats is significantly better than Blakeman’s 69-15% lead with Republicans, and she leads 41-34% with independents, as well as in every region of the state.”
Pollsters said Hochul also seems to have the backing of a majority of New Yorkers in her opposition to aggressive U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in the Empire State.
The poll found that while a slim majority of New York voters (43%-35%) support deporting immigrants living illegally in the country, at least 67% had an unfavorable view of ICE’s operations and tactics.
Two-thirds of those polled think ICE’s tactics have gone too far, and oppose sending additional ICE agents to New York, pollsters found. Many of the results predictably fell along party lines.
“Republicans view ICE favorably, support the way they are working and nearly three-quarters want additional ICE agents sent to New York City,” Greenberg said. “Democrats and independents say exactly the opposite: unfavorable to ICE, don’t like the way they work, and don’t want more of them in the Big Apple.”
Blakeman has attacked Hochul for proposing a plan to limit cooperation between New York law enforcement, calling her the “most pro-criminal governor in the United States” and saying her proposal would allow “dangerous criminals” to be freed into the community.
But Hochul’s campaign has fired back at Blakeman with TV ads over his support for cooperating with ICE to apprehend undocumented immigrants in his county and his pledges to block ‘sanctuary’ policies that limit cooperation with the federal government.
