Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat from New York, is seeing her lead over Republican Bruce Blakeman shrink, with a recent Siena College poll indicating a 49% to 39% advantage for Hochul. Interestingly, the poll also reveals a negative favorability rating for the Democratic Socialists of America, sitting at -30% to 47%. Time is running out, as there are less than three months until the election.
In June, Hochul had a more comfortable lead, with 52% of registered voters stating they would support her. This time, that figure has decreased significantly to just 32%. Reflecting on past elections, Siena pollster Stephen Greenberg pointed out that a year ago, Hochul was leading her then-opponent, Lee Zeldin, by 14 points but ultimately won by a narrower margin.
Blakeman, who currently serves as Nassau County executive, criticized the polling accuracy in a statement, insisting that many polls have indicated a near tie with Hochul. He claimed that people are starting to recognize her as a poorly performing governor, blaming high taxes and rising crime rates.
The latest Siena College poll, conducted among 811 likely voters from August 3-6, has a margin of error of about 4.6 percentage points. Voters generally seem to believe Hochul might handle housing affordability better than Blakeman (48% to 41%), and she also leads in efforts to increase affordable housing supply (51% to 35%).
The poll also highlighted significant divides regarding safety and illegal immigration, with Hochul ahead slightly in both categories. She tends to dominate with Democratic voters, while Blakeman enjoys strong support from Republicans. Interestingly, independent voter preferences appear to slightly favor Blakeman.
In urban settings, Hochul commands a striking lead of 64% compared to Blakeman’s 19%. However, in the surrounding suburban areas, Blakeman is leading by 8 points (49% to 41%). Voter demographics show Hochul performing well among women, Latino, and Black voters.
On a related note, the Siena Institute also gauged opinions on the Democratic Socialists of America, which recently won the New York mayoral race. The feedback revealed that the group has a negative reputation, with most Republicans and a significant number of independents viewing them unfavorably.
