Gov. Kathy Hochul’s job approval and approval rating have improved slightly while still grappling with an electorate concerned about affordability and crime as she sets the stage for another campaign in less than two years, according to a Siena College poll of New York registered voters released Tuesday.
The governor has a negative favorability rating of 39 to 49 percent, up from 36 to 51 percent in October, and a job approval rating of 46 to 49 percent, up from 41 to 51 percent, according to the poll. She has not held a positive favorability rating since January and has never had a favorability rating of 50% or higher during her tenure.
Only about a third of respondents said they would re-elect Hochul in 2026, while a slight majority – 57% – want someone else.
“And as we now enter the 2026 gubernatorial election cycle, Hochul is starting off with a less than enthusiastic reception from voters. Only a third of voters – including just 48% of Democrats – say they are ready to re-elect Hochul, while 57% of voters – 40% of Democrats – say they want ‘someone else,’” Steven said Greenberg, Siena College pollster. in a statement. “Unsurprisingly, 85% of Republicans want someone else, as do 65% of independents. »
The poll finds voters still prefer a Democrat over a Republican to be the next governor, 52 to 34 percent, with 85 percent of Democrats saying Democratic, 85 percent of Republicans saying Republican and independents saying Republican 39 percent to 29 percent.
As state lawmakers return to Albany for a new legislative session in a few weeks, 43% of voters said the cost of living should be the top priority this year, followed by 19% for affordable housing and l influx of migrants each, and 15% for crime.
“Elected officials may want to listen when more than two-thirds of voters — including 77 percent of Democrats, 72 percent of independents and 60 percent of Republicans — tell them the cost of living is one of their top two priorities for the next legislative elections. session,” Greenberg said. “And 43% said it was the top priority.” Nearly half of voters said the availability of affordable housing should be one of the top two issues.
Voters are also pessimistic about the state’s progress on these issues, with 54% of voters saying crime and the influx of migrants have gotten worse in New York over the past year, and 76% saying that the cost of living has gotten worse.
A majority of voters, 51 to 29 percent, oppose Hochul’s reinstated $9 Manhattan congestion charge plan, according to the poll, including 56 percent of New York City voters and 60 percent of suburban voters. from the south of the state.
“There is virtually no group of New Yorkers that supports the governor’s $9 congestion pricing plan for Manhattan,” Greenberg said. “Democrats are close to breaking even, with opponents leading supporters 42 to 40 percent. City voters oppose it by nearly two to one and those in the southern suburbs of the state by more than two to one. There are very few racial or gender divisions when it comes to congestion pricing.
When it comes to energy, New Yorkers are more divided on building new nuclear power plants in the state, with 43% opposing it and 42% in favor.
“When it comes to New York’s energy policy – issues like fracking, carbon emissions, offshore wind – a majority of voters would trust the Hochul administration over the Trump, between 49 and 38 percent,” Greenberg said. “Here we see the expected partisan divide, with 83% of Republicans trusting Trump and 73% of Democrats trusting Hochul. The independents are split in the middle, 40% to 40%.
When it comes to the new presidential administration, President-elect Donald Trump has a negative approval rating of 37-59%, and by a margin of 50-39%, voters believe Trump’s second presidency will be bad for New York . By comparison, in December 2016, New Yorkers thought a Trump presidency would be good for New York, by 47 to 45 percent.
“When Trump took office in January 2017, his approval rating, from 37 to 55 percent, was not much different from today. Currently, he is viewed favorably by 85% of Republicans, and unfavorably by 83% of Democrats and 53% of independents,” Greenberg said. “It’s no surprise that 83% of Republicans think Trump’s second presidency will be good for New York, while 73% of Democrats say it’s bad. Independents barely lean toward good, 43 to 42 percent.
A majority of voters, 54 to 35 percent, say the state should support, not oppose, the Trump administration’s efforts to deport migrants living in the state illegally.
At the end of his term, President Joe Biden has a negative approval rating of 44-52% and a job approval rating of 47-52%.
The Siena College poll was conducted Dec. 2-5 among 834 registered voters in New York state. It has an overall margin of error of +/- 4.1 percentage points.