Poll Shows Kathy Hochul Holds Solid Lead Over Letitia James for NY Governor

By: Ilana Siyance

Gov. Kathy Hochul leads the crowded Democratic pool of candidates eyeing the primary for the next New York State governor.

As reported by the NY Post, a new poll shows that Hochul, the incumbent who took office in August, has a strong lead, boasting more than double the support of her main rival, state Attorney General Letitia James.  The poll shows Holchul with 40 percent of support from primary voters, with James in second place for now, with 17 percent of the support.  Another seven percent of Democratic primary voters said they expect to support the candidacy of either Mayor Bill de Blasio or Public Advocate Jumaane Williams.  Roughly 30 percent of the polled Democrats said they were still undecided.

The survey, conducted by In the Field Global, found that in a hypothetical one-on-one matchup between Hochul and James, Hochul leads with 44 percent support to 26 percent.  This hints that James would take on more of de Blasio and Williams’ supporters than Hochul, if they were not in the primary.

A big part of Hochul’s lead stems in the NYC region.  “Hochul is doing all the right things and she has the bully pulpit,” said In the Field Global pollster Rob Cole, who directed the survey for a moderate political group.  This poll agrees with a Data For Progress poll released last week, which showed that Hochul led over James by 14 points.

On Monday morning, Rep. Tom Suozzi, who represents NY’s 3rd district including Nassau county and Queens, announced that he too will be running for governor.  The 59-year-old Representative, who formerly served as County Executive of Nassau County, had turned down an offer last week from Mayor-elect Eric Adams to be deputy mayor.  His potential candidacy was not included in the poll.

This poll also queried into other positions, showing that 73 percent of Democrats have a favorable view of NY Senator Chuck Schumer.  The influential Democratic majority leader will seek re-election next year for a fifth term.  Just 13 percent had an unfavorable view of Schumer, with the remaining 14 percent undecided. His popularity will make it hard for challenger to defeat him in a primary.  Also, the poll showed that 75 percent of Democratic voters in NY have a favorable opinion of President Joe Biden, and 15 percent have a negative view.

The survey questioned 282 Democrats in NYS on November 17, a small sample which was taken as part of a larger survey. The margin of error is plus or minus six percentage points.