ALBANY – Gov. Cuomo is backed by an astronomical 77 percent of New York voters, despite a rancid economy and a cut-to-the-bone state budget plan that could lead to 10,000 state workers being laid off, a new poll out this morning shows.
The Siena College survey showed Cuomo with the highest approval rating ever for a governor during six years of the college’s statewide polling.
The poll found 70 percent of Republicans and 68 percent of conservatives view Democrat Cuomo favorably.
In sharp contrast, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) was viewed favorably by just 19 percent of voters and negatively by 41 percent.
Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos’ favorable/unfavorable rating was 11-17 percent.
While voters expressed opposition to Cuomo’s proposed education and health care cuts, they still backed his budget plan, 72-25 percent.
Republicans support the budget more than Democrats and upstaters supported it more than New York City residents, the new poll showed.
The poll also found that with Cuomo at the helm, New Yorkers think for the first time since 2007 that the state is heading in the right and not the wrong direction.
Forty-seven percent of those surveyed said the state is on the right track while 39 percent said it was going the wrong way, a sweeping change from the 27-60 percent right track/wrong track recorded by Siena just two months ago.
“The honeymoon continues,” said Siena’s Steve Greenberg.
“Despite what Gov. Cuomo described as a painful budget – or maybe because of it – 77 percent of voters say they have a favorable view of Cuomo, compared to only 16 percent who view him unfavorably,” he continued.
Two-thirds of those surveyed said the soon-to-expire “millionaire’s tax” on those earning more than $200,000 a year, which Cuomo wants ended, should be continued.