ALBANY — New Yorkers like Obama — and Obamacare.
And the feelings are about as partisan as they can be.
Democrats strongly approve of President Obama and the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding his signature health care law, with Republicans strongly opposed and independent voters evenly divided, according to a Siena College Poll released today.
The poll found Gov. Cuomo with continued high favorability and job approval marks, the state Legislature nearing the break-even point — and far ahead of Congress — and New York voters continuing to think the state is headed in the right direction.
The July 10-15 telephone survey of 758 registered New York voters found Obama slightly increased his lead since last month over former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney to 61-34 percent in blue New York.
Democrats favor their president by 77 points, while Republicans prefer Romney by 57 points. Independents lean toward giving Obama a second term by 13 percent.
New Yorkers agree with the high court ruling on Obamacare by 45-28 percent; 53 percent favor full implementation — including three quarters of Democrats, union households by two-to-one and a majority of Protestants and Jews — while 37 percent back repeal – including three quarters of Republicans. Only one if five thinks the law will increase health care access, while just one in eight thinks it will reduce their costs.
Although New Yorkers say the nation is headed in the wrong direction by 52-44 percent, that’s down from 53-40 in June and it’s the most positive voters have been in more than a year of Siena polling.
Cuomo (69-22 percent favorability rating, 58-41 percent job approval) is holding steady, while New Yorkers again say their state is on the right track, by 53-36 percent.
The state Assembly and Senate are viewed unfavorably by 45-42 and 48-43 percent, respectively — a vast improvement over several years ago and well ahead of Congress’s 67-27 percent disapproval rating in New York.
Yet U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) would swamp her Republican challenger, Manhattan lawyer Wendy Long, 62-25 percent. Seeking her first full six-year term, Gillibrand leads by a wide margin among Democrats, holds a 50-30 edge among independents and wins 30 percent of Republicans.