Hochul clinging to double digit lead over Republican Bruce Blakeman in NY governors race: poll

Gov.Kathy Hochul is holding on to a 14-point lead over Republican rival Bruce Blakeman in next month’s gubernatorial election, according to a poll released Wednesday.The new Quinnipiac University survey shows 55% of likely voters backing the Democratic incumbent, and 41% choosing her GOP opponent.When Hochul faced then-GOP nominee Lee Zeldin in 2022, the Quinnipiac poll from that October showed her ahead of him by only 4 points, 50% to 46%.“Hochul is in a better position than she was four years ago when she faced Lee Zeldin,” said Quinnipiac pollster Mary Snow.Blakeman did pick up some ground since September, when Quinnipiac had Hochul ahead by 19 points, 58% to 39%.In the latest poll, Hochul — who is seeking re-election to a second, four-year term — was predictably pulling 94% support from Democrats.Blakeman, the Nassau County executive, got the backing of 95% of Republicans in a state where Dems outnumber GOP voters two-and-half to one.In a bright spot for Blakeman, 51% of registered independent voters backed him compared to 44% for Hochul.But Hochul is running much stronger among voters in deep blue New York City than she did in Quinnipiac’s pre-election poll four years ago.In October 2022, Quinnipiac showed 59% of Big Apple voters supporting Hochul and 37% backing Zeldin, the current federal Environmental Protection Agency administrator and former Long Island congressman.In Wednesday’s survey, 70% of New York City voters supported Hochul and 24% backed Blakeman.Blakeman leads Hochul 52% to 46% upstate, and they split among voters in the downstate suburbs — 48% Blakeman, 47% Hochul.The survey also showed Hochul benefits from a yawning gender gap, leading Blakeman 60% to 35% among women voters.

Men were split, with 49% for Hochul and 48% behind Blakeman.But overall, neither candidate was very popular.Forty-five percent of voters said they have a favorable opinion of Hochul, while 46% had an unfavorable opinion, with the rest undecided, the poll sh...