ALBANY — Nearly two-thirds of New York voters say they’re never surprised when another state legislator gets indicted because most are out only to help themselves and their political pals, according to a poll released Monday.
The Siena College poll said 65 percent of likely voters believe state lawmakers “do what is best for themselves and their friends” and only 28 percent say “the state legislature is honest, hard-working and do what’s best for constituents.”
Despite those misgivings, 49 percent of voters were ready to vote for incumbent state senators and 41 percent said they’d pull the lever for their Assembly representative.
Meanwhile, the poll provided more bad news for Rob Astorino, the Republican challenger to Gov. Cuomo, who has trailed by large numbers in every public poll.
The latest figures had Cuomo grabbing 60 percent of the vote to Astorino’s 23 percent.
The two other Republicans on the statewide ticket also faced uphill battles.
State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli was ahead of challenger Bob Antonacci 57 to 26 percent, and Attorney General Eric Schneiderman was leading John Cahill 53 to 31 percent.
“While the incumbents are hardly household names amongst New Yorkers, their challengers remain largely unknown,” explained pollster Steven Greenberg.