LOUDONVILLE — Gov. Andrew Cuomo has seen his poll numbers drop since May, primarily among downstate voters who may be focused on well-publicized troubles at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, according to a Siena College poll released Tuesday.
The governor’s favorability rating dropped from 62 percent in May to 52 percent, and the percentage of respondents who view him unfavorably rose from 31 percent to 41 percent, according to the Siena College Research Institute poll. It is Cuomo’s lowest favorability rating statewide since February 2016, according to Siena.
The poll also found 46 percent of voters would re-elect Cuomo, who is up for re-election in 2018, while an equal percentage would prefer someone else. That’s down 7 percentage points since May, when he was favored by 53 percent and only 36 percent wanted “someone else.”
The drops in his job performance and re-elect ratings — reported among Democrats, Republicans and independents who responded to the survey — are wholly from downstate voters, Siena pollster Steven Greenberg said.
Greenberg said the swing in voter opinion appears tied to the MTA, a state-controlled authority that oversees the New York City and suburban mass transit system, which has been plagued in recent months by subway delays due to aging tracks, signal and switching equipment, and other infrastructure issues. A Quinnipiac poll last week gave Cuomo similar numbers, with 55 percent of those polled giving him failing marks on MTA issues.
The change in opinion among voters outside of the MTA service region was less than 1 percentage point, Greenberg said. Overall, he said 59 percent of voters believe Cuomo is doing a poor job overseeing the MTA, and more voters hold him responsible than blame New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. Three-quarters of voters said both the state and the city need to be investing more in the MTA.
“Three-quarters of upstate voters and 96 percent of downstate voters say it’s important that the New York City area have a world-class mass transit system, yet only one-quarter of downstate voters and one-third of upstate voters give the MTA a positive job performance rating,” Greenberg said.
Even though more voters assign primary blame for the MTA’s problems to Cuomo, the poll found only 20 percent think de Blasio think is doing a good job with the MTA, with 63 percent giving him a negative rating.
The MTA serves Dutchess, Nassau, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Suffolk and Westchester counties, in addition to New York City. While most voters think the MTA needs more investment, people living in the MTA region felt the state should pay the majority of the cost by a 59 percent to 33 percent margin, and outside the MTA region, 67 percent of voters felt the city should be primarily responsible.
Among the poll’s other findings on New York state issues:
- By a 47 percent to 37 percent margin, a plurality of voters oppose naming the new Tappan Zee Bridge for the governor’s father, former Gov. Mario M. Cuomo. The current bridge is named for another former governor, Republican Malcolm Wilson.
- Legalization of recreational marijuana use is supported by 49 percent of voters and opposed by 47 percent. Democrats and younger voters were most likely to support marijuana legalization, while Republicans and older voters are opposed.
- Two-thirds of voters have heard “nothing at all” about a referendum this fall on holding a state constitutional convention, though voters support the idea of a convention by a 47 percent to 34 percent margin. Most voters support a separate constitutional amendment on the November ballot that would strip public officials of their pensions if they are convicted of a felony related to their office.
- By a 46 percent to 40 percent margin, most voters think the state is moving in a positive direction — but that’s down from 52-33 percent margins in April and May.
The poll was conducted July 9-13 by telephone, relying on responses from 793 registered voters who spoke English.
Reach Gazette reporter Stephen Williams at 395-3086, swilliams@dailygazette.net or @gazettesteve on Twitter.