A little-noticed poll of New Hampshire Democrats has found Gov. Cuomo the overwhelming favorite to run for president in 2016, if Hillary Rodham Clinton stays out of the race.
The survey’s eyebrow-raising results have begun making the rounds of Democratic Party ranks, where Cuomo, who polls show is the most popular governor in the United States, is already widely described as a future presidential nominee.
Interest in the findings is also being fueled by a growing sense among New York Democrats that an increasingly unpopular President Obama might be defeated next year by a Republican ticket headed by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie or former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, both of whom are seen as having potentially strong appeal to New York voters.
The survey in the first-in-the-nation primary state focused mainly on local New Hampshire political candidates and support for gay marriage — not on future presidential nominees — and was released July 19 by Public Policy Polling, a Democrat-oriented firm.
It found Cuomo favored by 30 percent of Democrats when matched up against a field of five other potential candidates — excluding Clinton.
His closest challenger, former Sen. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, was backed by 18 percent while Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick was third with 13 percent.
Several New York Democrats said they weren’t surprised by the findings because Cuomo, with his high approval rating, a successful legislative session under his belt, and his success in legalizing same-sex marriages, has become one of the most promising party leaders in the nation.
“The number of those supporting Gov. Cuomo for president in 2016 is going to keep going up and up as people around the country get to know him,’’ said Retail, Wholesale and Department Store union President Stuart Appelbaum, the first labor leader to endorse Cuomo for governor, in response to the New Hampshire poll.
While Secretary of State and failed presidential hopeful Clinton has appeared to rule out seeking future elective office, New Hampshire Democrats favored her, 52-16 percent, over Vice President Joe Biden as their candidate in 2016, according to the poll.
Administration insiders insisted that Cuomo isn’t seeking national attention for a possible presidential run and has been doing all he can to downplay such speculation.
They note that he has repeatedly refused national media requests for interviews and has directed his staff not to discuss the possibility of his being his party’s 2016 nominee.
“The governor is all about governing in New York now, not about planting stories about a possible presidential run down the road,’’ said an aide.
What’s more, state Democrats say Cuomo has made it clear that he doesn’t want any special role at next year’s Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, NC, where President Obama is slated to be renominated.
Many will recall that Cuomo’s father, then-Gov. Mario Cuomo, rocketed to fame on the strength of his 1984 keynote address to the Democratic Convention in San Francisco, which generated widespread speculation that he would one day run for president.
And it was little-known Illinois state Sen. Obama’s 2004 keynote address to the Democratic Convention in Boston that generated the excitement that would lead him to become his party’s successful presidential nominee four years later.