(The Center Square) – New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is leading Republican rival Bruce Blakeman by 12 points with less than a month until the election, according to a poll released Thursday.
The Emerson College poll found Hochul has support from about 52% of likely New York voters, while 40% said they would vote for Blakeman if the election were held today. Eight percent were undecided, pollsters said.
Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said Hochul’s lead “is driven by strong support among New York Democrats, 84% to 8%, but independents break for the Republican, Blakeman, 55% to 34%, a notable contrast with other Emerson statewide polls this cycle, in which independent voters have generally favored the Democratic candidate.”
Among New Yorkers, 34% of voters believe the economy is the top issue ahead of the election, followed by housing affordability at 17%, threats to democracy at 13%, crime at 12% and immigration at 10%, according to the poll.
Twenty-eight percent say the cost of everyday goods is their biggest economic concern, 12% the cost of housing, 12% taxes, 9% retirement/social security, 8% the cost of healthcare, and 7% the price of gasoline and electricity, pollsters said.
The Emerson poll is the latest to show the incumbent Democratic governor in a comfortable position to win another four years in office despite the challenge from the Nassau County executive.
A recent Siena University poll showed Hochul leading Blakeman 50%-41% among likely voters, a slight change from her 49%-39% advantage in August. A recent Quinnipiac University had Hochul leading Blakeman by 19 points, with 58% of likely voters supporting her reelection bid.
Hochul is seeking reelection to a second full term with her running mate, former New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams. She took over as governor in 2021 after then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo stepped down amid sexual harassment claims, and won a full term in 2022 after defeating Republican Lee Zeldin.
Blakeman, who is running with President Donald Trump’s endorsement, is making his first run for governor with Madison County Sheriff Todd Hood as his running mate for lieutenant governor.
Republicans are pinning their hopes of winning back the governor’s office on Blakeman, focusing on Hochul’s pro-immigration policies, crime, and support for New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s leftist agenda.
Despite that, the Emerson poll found New York voters view Mamdani more favorably than Hochul, with a plurality, or 47%, approving of the job the democratic socialist is doing as mayor, with 41% disapproving, and 13% are neutral.
That’s compared Hochul’s 40% job approval rating and 46% disapproval, according to the poll. Mamdani’s popularity also exceeded that of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, whose favorability rating was 30%, according to the Emeron survey.
