Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s job approval rating dropped by nearly 30 points while a majority of New Yorkers said they would not like to see him run for reelection, according to a Quinnipiac poll released Thursday.
The poll comes after recent allegations of sexual harassment by Gov. Cuomo and investigation into his administration’s reporting of nursing home deaths caused by COVID-19.
In regard to Gov. Cuomo’s job performance, 45% of New York voters approve of him with 65% of Democrats approving, 82% of Republicans disapproving, and 57% of independents disapproving.
Cuomo’s approval rating is approaching a 30-point drop compared to last year where it sat at 72%.
Despite this, 55% of voters say Cuomo should not resign while 59% say he should not run for reelection in 2022.
In terms of the pandemic, 56% of voters approve of his coronavirus response, down from 81% in May 2020, at the height of the pandemic in New York. 53% of New Yorkers say Cuomo has not lost his ability to be an effective leader.
“From popular to precarious, Governor Andrew Cuomo’s political standing is on shaky ground. New Yorkers are not clamoring to have him step down at this stage, but they are signaling a willingness to show him to the exit door once his term is done,” said Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Mary Snow.
In response to Gov. Cuomo’s sexual harassment allegations, 59% of voters say they are not satisfied with his apology, while 48% think he is not being truthful about the accusations against him.
“Governor Cuomo’s apology and explanation about the sexual harassment allegations aren’t cutting it with New Yorkers. A clear majority indicate Cuomo’s response falls short and only 3 in 10 voters are convinced at this point that he’s being truthful,” Snow said.
Regarding the undercount of nursing home deaths in the state, 75% believe Cuomo did something wrong. A slim majority of 51% say that while it may not have been illegal, he did do something unethical while 24% believe he did do something illegal.
The Quinnipiac poll surveyed 935 registered New York voters and was conducted March 2 and 3. It has a margin of error of 3.2 percentage points.
