64 percent of New Yorkers don't want Andrew Cuomo to be their governor as approval ratings plummet: Survey
The year 2021 has not been a happy one for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, thanks to a series of revelations and accusations on both political and personal fronts. The 63-year-old Democratic politician, who completed a decade in office in January, has been accused of hiding a number of coronavirus-related deaths in nursing homes and sexually harassing former aides and these have left a clear impact on his approval ratings, as some recent surveys have shown.
A new Emerson poll has shown that Cuomo’s rating has dipped to 38 percent with 48 percent of New Yorkers expressing their dissatisfaction with his performance. The survey also said that while only 36 percent wanted Cuomo to get his fourth term next year, 64 percent want somebody else to take over. Also, 70 percent of New York independents felt the state is on the “wrong track”.
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The findings are a complete contrast to the scenario that prevailed last year when Cuomo was seen by many as a hero who led from the front against the Covid-19 pandemic which badly hit the Empire State. Even in the Democratic Party, 52 percent said Cuomo should get another term but a close 48 percent said he should not.
Cuomo approval rate still higher among women
However, Cuomo saw a higher approval rate among women (43 percent approved him as against 40 percent who did not) than among men (33 percent approval as against 56 percent disapproval). On the issue of allegations of sexual harassment against Cuomo, 90 percent of surveyed voters said they knew something about the issue.
Of those who were aware of the accusations, only 32 percent said they were at least somewhat satisfied with the governor’s response while 42 percent said they were not. When asked whether they believed the allegations were true, 38 percent believed he is guilty while 44 percent said they are unsure. Only 18 percent felt Cuomo is not guilty.
The Emerson poll, on the other hand, showed President Joe Biden, also a Democrat, having a 52 percent approval rate and 33 percent disapproval rate. Fifteen percent said they were not sure.
In mid-February, another poll showed a similar dip in Cuomo’s popularity. In the wake of the nursing home death revelations, the Siena College Research Institute poll covering 804 New York voters said Cuomo’s approval rating plummeted significantly since January. When the voters were asked if they were convinced by the way Cuomo made public information about the nursing home deaths, 39 percent said they had approved of it while 55 percent said they didn’t.
Another poll, conducted by Morning Consult, also said that Cuomo’s approval rating dropped but not by a big margin. The poll, which was released last month, said while 57 percent approved of the governor’s performance, 38 percent did not.
The results of this poll, which came immediately after the New York Post reported the Cuomo administration’s decision to hide data related to the nursing-home deaths, revealed that the approval rate of Cuomo had actually slipped from 63 percent (33 percent disapproval) which was seen in surveys released in late January and early February.