Majority call Gov. Hochul hard-working, but favorability is negative for first time: Poll

LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. (WRGB) — For the first time, more voters, 45%, view Gov. Kathy Hochul unfavorably than view her favorably, 40%, down from 43-43% in March, according to a Siena College Poll released Tuesday morning.

The poll finds her job approval rating slid to 50-44% from 52-41% in March. A strong majority said Hochul is hard working, 58-20%, and a plurality of voters said Hochul is honest, 44-32%, and not corrupt, 47-26%. However, voters are evenly divided on whether Hochul is effective, 39-39%, or a strong leader, 40-40%.

A plurality of voters says that overall, the recently passed state budget will be good, rather than bad, for New York, 38-26%. A strong to overwhelming majority of voters think five specific proposals will be good for New York: increasing funding by $1 billion for mental health services, 80-9%, increasing the minimum wage, 64-24%, giving judges more discretion to set bail, 59-20%, allocating $100 million to support abortion providers, 59-27%, and authorizing the state to penalize/close unlicensed cannabis businesses, 58-26%. Voters are closely divided on new building electrification mandates and expanded film tax credits.

“While voters think that the recently passed budget and many of its specifics will be good for New York, at the same time they also give Hochul her worst-ever favorability rating – the first time it’s been under water. For months, we’ve noted that Hochul’s favorable rating has never hit 50%, now she’s struggling to keep it in the 40s,” said Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg. “While viewed favorably by 57% of Democrats, she’s viewed unfavorably by 54% of independents and 77% of Republicans. Upstate, voters view her unfavorably two-to-one.

“Hochul’s job performance rating remained modestly positive, 50-44%, and nearly matched its all time low of 49-44% in December,” Greenberg said. “Since January, Hochul’s favorability and job approval ratings have both dropped in each of the last three Siena polls. Job approval has fallen by 14 points and favorability by 11 points.”

“By a three-to-one margin, including 72% of Democrats and pluralities of Republicans and independents, voters say Hochul is hard working. Strong majorities of Democrats and pluralities of independents say Hochul is both honest and not corrupt, while Republicans disagree. Democrats say Hochul is effective and a strong leader; Republicans and independents disagree,” Greenberg said. “Nearly half of New Yorkers say Hochul is out of touch with average New Yorkers, including a narrow plurality of Democrats.”

“Majorities of Democrats, Republicans and independents all agree that three proposals in the recently passed state budget will be good for New York: increasing funding for mental health services, giving judges more discretion on setting bail for serious crimes, and authorizing the state to crack down on unlicensed cannabis businesses,” Greenberg said. “Majorities of Democrats and independents think the minimum wage increase and new funding for reproductive health care will also be good for the state. Only Democrats say the new building electrification mandates and expanded film tax credit will be good for New York. Overall, Democrats think the budget will be good for the state, Republicans think it will be bad for the state, and independents are more closely divided.”