Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York appears to be in a weak position as she seeks a fourth term, according to a poll released Thursday.
In the heavily Democratic Empire State, just 42% of voters support Gillibrand’s reelection, compared with 42% who support another candidate and 16% who are undecided. According to a poll from the University of Siena.
While 62% of Democrats supported Gillibrand’s reelection, only 32% of independents supported her continuing in her term, and 46% supported another candidate.
Only 40% of voters have a favorable view of her, and a combined 60% have an unfavorable view of her or have no opinion.
Her Republican opponent, former New York Police Department detective Michael Supply-Corn, said the findings show he has a chance to beat Gillibrand, who has served in the Senate since 2009.
Supply-Corn argued that Gillibrand is in trouble because she’s “missing in action.”
“As I travel the state, I hear legitimate concerns about crime, illegal immigration and the economy — and every New Yorker, regardless of party, says Gillibrand is missing the mark,” Supplycone said in a statement.
“Gillibrand has embraced policies that have destroyed our state and our nation, disappointed voters, and disappeared.”
Gillibrand ran in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary but withdrew early due to lack of support.
“Does New York even have a representative? Gillibrand disappeared from public view after her crushing defeat in the 2020 presidential primary, and few have seen or heard from her since,” said Gerald Kasser, chairman of the state’s Conservative Party, which supports Supply-Corn.
“That’s clearly reflected in her weak polling numbers. Make no mistake about it, conservative Republican Mike Supply-Corn can beat Sen. Gillibrand in November. This is a race to watch,” Cassar said.
Gillibrand was first appointed to the Senate by Gov. David Paterson in 2009 after then-Senator Hillary Clinton resigned to become President-elect Barack Obama’s secretary of state.
She was re-elected in 2010 to serve out Clinton’s full term.
Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg said it was surprising that a significant number of voters didn’t have a strong opinion of Gillibrand or didn’t know her, given how long she’d been in office.
“That’s a very high number for someone who’s been in the senate for 15 years, but it’s been that way his whole time in office,” Greenberg said.
He noted that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, R-New York, is well known in the polls.
But history suggests talk of defeating Gillibrand could end in irrational frenzy.
The well-funded Gillibrand easily won reelection in 2012 with 68% of the vote and in 2018 with 67%.
“Senator Gillibrand will be easily re-elected, no question about it,” said Manhattan Democratic Party Chairman Keith Wright.
A former congresswoman from upstate New York, Ms. Gillibrand has moved left on some policy issues, including gun control, since joining the Senate.
She has been an active activist against sexual harassment and abuse of women in the military.
In 2017, she became the first Democratic senator to call for the resignation of then-Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota, who had been accused of unwanted groping and kissing of women.
She also made headlines when she said that her former political supporter, President Bill Clinton, should have resigned over the Monica Lewinsky scandal.
Both comments were condemned by Democrats as political opportunism.
Her campaign did not immediately comment.
The Siena College poll was conducted June 12-17 among 805 registered voters.
The margin of error is plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.
