The latest Zogby Poll does not bode well for Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s incumbent advantage if he decides to run for another term as New York’s top politician. Zogby found nearly half (47%) of NY voters said it was time for “someone new” as governor compared to 41% who said Cuomo deserves re-election and 12% who were uncertain.
Zogby Analytics does custom research and polling for leaders of businesses and communities, as well as to individuals. The company is based in Utica, NY.
In the poll, Cuomo got big support from big city voters but not surprisingly an overwhelming 65% of rural voters want a new governor. Cuomo is widely viewed as favoring New York City and its environs, especially during the current COVID crisis, while upstate counties are often perceived as not receiving as much state aid in dealing with the impact of the COVID pandemic.
A majority (51% re-elected/37% someone new) of large city voters thought Cuomo should be re-elected, while majorities of suburban (39% re-elected/51% someone new) and rural voters (26% re-elected/65% someone new) thought it was time for a new leader. Suburban women (39% re-elected/46% someone new) in particular were somewhat fed-up and wanted someone new.
In a race between Cuomo and current NY Attorney General Letitia James, Cuomo easily won, 65% to 22%, while 13% were uncertain. His numbers were almost identical against US Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY 14). In a hypothetical Democratic party showdown, Cuomo led the firebrand Millennial 67% to 24%, while 9% were uncertain. Ocasio-Cortez did not fair well against Cuomo, but she did beat the three-term governor among the youngest voters—aged 18-29 (Cortez led 47% to 43%, 10% not sure) and aged 18-24 (Cortez led 53% to 43%, 4% not sure).
The hypothetical Republican candidate who polled the best against Cuomo was US Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY 22). In a hypothetical match-up, Cuomo received 49% of the vote compared to 37% who supported Stefanik, while 14% were not sure.
While Cuomo is easily beating Stefanik, the three-time governor did show areas of vulnerability. Stefanik performed the best with upstate New York voters, where she beat Cuomo 46% to 43%. She also performed well with white voters (Cuomo led 45% to 42%), men (Cuomo led 47% to 42%) and voters who are married (tied at 44%).
Stefanik is not a household name in upstate New York, so she’d face a name recognition disadvantage against the well-known if not overwhelmingly popular Cuomo.
