Gov. Kathy Hochul is in the dog house with New York voters, according to a new Siena College poll out Monday.
The state’s chief executive had her lowest-ever favorability rating, with 40% of registered New York voters holding a positive view of the governor and 49% that do not. That is a slight drop from where her favorability stood in a February Siena survey — 41% to 46% — but a notable increase in her negative number.
The survey, which includes input from 806 New York state voters who were contacted between April 15-17, also found Hochul to have her lowest job approval rating of any poll conducted by Siena College. It found that 45% of New Yorkers approve of the job she is doing, while 49% do not. That is down from slightly more voters approving than disapproving of her job performance in February — 48% to 47%.
“Hochul’s favorability and job approval ratings improved from last fall to January of this year, but her ratings since then fell, both in February and this month,” said Gary Greenberg, a Siena College pollster, in a statement.
According to the poll, Hochul is most underwater with New York Republicans and is not doing any better with independent voters.
“While Democrats continue to view Hochul favorably and approve of the job she’s doing by about two-to-one, 79% of Republicans view her unfavorably and 81% disapprove of the job she’s doing,” Greenberg said. “And by two-to-one margins, independents view her unfavorably and disapprove of the job she’s doing as governor.”
The lighting rod issue of congestion pricing, the plan to charge drivers a $15 toll to enter Manhattan’s central business district, also did not fair well in the poll. According to the poll, 63% oppose the plan, while 25% are in favor of it.
The findings come fresh off of the governor and Albany lawmakers adopting a $237 billion Fiscal Year 2025 state budget over the weekend, three weeks after its April 1 deadline. While the spending plan appeared to accomplish much of what the governor and Mayor Eric Adams wanted, it drew backlash from across the political spectrum.
Despite the tumble in her popularity, the poll did reveal that New Yorkers are strongly aligned with Hochul on issues that she prioritized in the budget, such as cracking down on shoplifting retail stores and illicit cannabis shops.
The survey found that the vast majority of voters — 76% — believe shoplifting is a major problem and 56% say the state should come down harder on unlicensed cannabis businesses.
The governor pushed measures included in the budget to increase penalties for assaulting retail workers, elevating the offense from a misdemeanor to a felony, and establish a $3,000 tax credit for businesses to beef up their security systems. The plan also grants the state Office of Cannabis Management and municipalities the power to padlock unlicensed weed shops if they are found to be selling cannabis illegally during an inspection.
The survey also found that an overwhelming majority of New Yorkers — 82% — view the influx of nearly 190,000 migrants to New York a serious problem. And majorities do not approve of Hochul’s, Adams’ or President Biden’s handling of the crisis.
A spokesperson for Hochul did not respond to a request for comment.
