New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has opened up a substantial lead over Cynthia Nixon, his progressive primary challenger, ahead of the Thursday New York gubernatorial primary contest, according to a new poll released Monday.
According to a poll conducted by Siena College, Cuomo leads Nixon by 41 points, enjoying 63 percent support versus 22 percent for the former “Sex and the City” star. The lead has increased by 11 points since Siena’s previous poll taken in July.
“Cuomo has expanded his two-to-one lead in July and now seems poised to overwhelm Nixon in Thursday’s Democratic primary. With a lead of nearly 40 points among all likely voters, Cuomo has a lead of at least 20 points with every demographic group and leads by at least 30 points in every region of the state,” said Steven Greenberg, pollster at Siena College.
Cuomo also continues to maintain a strong favorability rating ahead of Thursday. Sixty-eight percent view him favorably compared to 24 percent who view him unfavorably — a swing of 6 points overall since July.
Nixon remains a relative unknown, yet still has higher unfavorable ratings than the incumbent governor. 41 percent view her favorably, compared to an unfavorable rating of 33 percent.
The Cuomo/Nixon matchup is not the only top-tier contest slated for Thursday, as New York Democrats will also select a nominee for attorney general. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, D-N.Y., is stuck in a neck-and-neck race with New York City Public Advocate Letitia James. Maloney holds 25 percent support to James’ 24 percent. Zephyr Teachout sits in third with 18 percent.
The winner will likely replace Eric Schneiderman, the former state attorney general, who resigned after the New Yorker reported in May that four women accuse him of sexual abuse.
