New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s job approval rating is wilting in the summer heat and now stands at 50-to-42 percent, down from 60-to-34 percent just two months ago, according to a Quinnipiac University Poll released Monday.
But Mayor de Blasio still tops his little-known Republican challenger, Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis by a margin of 57-to-22 percent, the independent Quinnipiac University Poll finds. This compares to a 64-to-21 percent Democratic lead May 17.
With former NYPD detective Bo Dietl running as an independent candidate, de Blasio gets 52 percent, with 15 percent for Malliotakis and 11 percent for Dietl.
New York City voters are split 46-to-46 percent on whether de Blasio deserves re-election, a big swing from May 17 when voters said 57-to-35 percent that he did deserve re-election.
“Leave out the one big question — the re-election matchup — and this is a pretty bad poll for Mayor Bill de Blasio,” said Maurice Carroll, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll.
“Does the mayor deserve re-election? Voters are split right down the middle. Is he doing a good job as mayor? ‘Yes,’ says 50 percent of voters. On the standard traits — leadership, empathy and honesty — all the numbers are down.
“But on the one question that matters in this election year — de Blasio vs. Assembly member Nicole Malliotakis — hizzoner is a better than a two-to-one winner.”
De Blasio gets a 49-to-39 percent favorability rating, down from 58-to-34 percent May 17. For Malliotakis, 78 percent of voters don’t know enough to form an opinion of her. For Dietl, an actor, author and television personality, 74 percent of voters don’t know enough.
Looking at Mayor de Blasio’s qualities, New York City voters say:
- 46 percent that he has strong leadership qualities, while 47 percent say he does not have strong leadership, down from a 56-to-39 percent positive May 17;
- 49 say he understands their problems, while 46 percent say he does not understand, down from a 59–to-37 percent positive in May;
- 52–to-35 percent that he is honest and trustworthy, down from 59-to-31 percent.
Approval ratings on the mayor’s handling of key issues also are down from May 17:
- Voters are split 47-to-45 percent on his handling of crime;
- Voters disapprove 45-to-39 percent of his handling of the public schools.
- Voters disapprove 51-to-30 percent of his handling of political corruption;
- Voters disapprove 63-to-29 percent of his handling of poverty and homelessness.
- New York City voters approve 52-to- 21 percent of the job Police Commissioner James O’Neill is doing and approve 64-to-30 percent of the job police in general are doing.
From July 20 to July 26, Quinnipiac University surveyed 877 New York City voters with a margin of error of 4.1 percentage points, including design effect. Live interviewers call landlines and cell phones.
