Exclusive | Bruce Blakeman poll claims hes within 4 points of toppling Hochul in NY governors race

Republican Bruce Blakeman could pull off a stunning upset in New York’s closely watched governor’s race — with the conservative challenger just four points behind Democratic incumbent Gov.Kathy Hochul in a new poll.Hochul only leads the underdog and current Nassau County executive 49.6% to 45.7% among likely voters, according to the survey conducted by McLaughlin & Associates for the Blakeman campaign.The remaining 4.7% of likely voters are undecided, the poll, based on interviews with 800 likely voters from Aug.

27-31, shows.The nail-bitingly close results reflect growing dissatisfaction with Hochul’s ability to lead the Empire State.More than half of voters (55%) don’t have a favorable view of the governor, who is seeking a second term, pollsters found.“The majority of voters (56%) believe that it’s time to give someone else a chance to do better, while only 38% say Kathy Hochul has performed well enough as Governor to deserve re-election,” pollster John McLaughlin said in a memo outlining the results.“The results show New York voters are dissatisfied with the direction of the state and Governor Hochul continues to miss critical benchmarks for a safe incumbent, leaving the opportunity for Bruce Blakeman to defeat Kathy Hochul this November.”Still, Blakeman shouldn’t celebrate too soon.

The GOP challenger faces a significant recognition issue with the Nov.3 election less than two months away.Almost a third of likely voters (30%) admit they have either never heard of him or don’t have an opinion on him, according to the survey.An independent poll conducted by Siena College last month showed Hochul leading by 10 percentage points — 49% to 39% — among likely voters, with the remainder undecided.Unsurprisingly, Hochul trounces Blakeman 60% to 33% among likely voters in deep-blue New York City, with 7% undecided, according to the new McLaughlin & Associates poll.Blakeman, for his part, leads Hochul by 5 points (51% to 46%) upstate ...