With six weeks left until Election Day, Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman is within single digits of New York Gov. Kathy Hochul in the governor's race, a new Siena Research Institute poll reveals.
Hochul continues to lead Blakeman by nine points — 50-41% — in the latest poll of more than 1,100 likely New York voters conducted between Sept. 11-17. The incumbent governor's lead is down slightly from August, when Hochul led 49-39%.
Both Hochul's favorability — 48-46% — and job approval ratings — 48-47% — have risen slightly from August. And voters view Blakeman more favorably as well; his September favorability is up to 35-34% compared to 33-26% last month.
"Given a nine-point race, it might seem surprising that two-thirds of voters
think Hochul will win," says Siena pollster Steven Greenberg.
"On the other hand, voters haven't elected a Republican governor in 24 years, and there is that two-to-one Democratic enrollment edge," Greenberg continued, "so it may not be surprising that more than one-third of Republicans think Hochul will win, as do 61% of independents, although only 39% of independents currently plan to vote for her."
Hochul has a controlling lead in New York City, 61-27%, but it's too close to call across the rest of the state. She leads narrowly in the downstate suburbs, 48-46%, while Blakeman marginally leads upstate 47-44%.
Here's the latest.
How Blakeman, Hochul campaigns are responding
According to Siena, Hochul had a 17-point lead over her Republican challenger in the 2022 governor's race, Lee Zeldin, at this point. And while Hochul went on to win that election by only six points, Blakeman is calling attention to his much closer deficit.
"All polls continue to show Kathy Hochul's downward spiral and me closing the gap as New Yorkers learn more about my plan to cut income taxes by historic margins and slash electric bills in half," Blakeman said in a written statement on Wednesday, Sept. 23.
"Today, our race is in single digits, with one-third of New Yorkers still needing to learn more about me," Blakeman added.
Hochul's campaign, however, is focusing on Blakeman's Trump ties. The poll reveals that a large number of voters, 51-30%, say Trump's endorsement of Blakeman will have a negative impact on the Republican candidate's campaign.
"Bruce Blakeman's Donald Trump obsession is a problem for this state and for his campaign, and New Yorkers can see it," a spokesperson for Hochul's campaign said in a statement.
"No one wants a Trump puppet in the governor's mansion who will cut their healthcare, raise their costs, and let ICE trample their rights — they trust Governor Hochul's record of investing in public safety, lowering crime, and putting money back in their pockets — and they know she'll fight for their families, not Trump," the statement continued.
Overall, Hochul has a slight lead over Blakeman in three categories — making prices more affordable, keeping New Yorkers safe and addressing undocumented immigrants living in the state. However, voters say both Hochul and Blakeman aren't "in touch with average New Yorkers."
Who is leading in other statewide races?
In the race for attorney general and comptroller, both Democratic incumbents have maintained hefty leads over their Republican challengers.
New York Attorney General Letitia James leads Republican Saritha Komatireddy, 52-39%, a slight decrease from her 54-36% advantage in August. And New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli leads Republican Joseph Hernandez, 56-33.
Emily Barnes covers state government for the USA TODAY Network-New York with a focus on how policy and laws impact New Yorkers' taxes, communities and jobs. Follow her on Instagram or X @byemilybarnes. Get in touch at ebarnes@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Blakeman pulls within single digits of Hochul in governor's race poll
