New York governor Kathy Hochul’s job-approval and favorability ratings dropped to a new low in a Thursday poll, as pluralities of voters say she either doesn’t care for their interests or fails to provide decisive leadership.
Hochul’s approval rating stands at a record low of 44 percent, according to a statewide Siena College poll conducted last week, with 50 percent disapproving of her job performance since she assumed office in 2021 following the resignation of then-governor Andrew Cuomo. She is also seen unfavorably by 49 percent of respondents, compared with 38 percent who view her in a positive light.
Despite Hochul’s poor polling numbers, New York voters support her decision to scrap Manhattan’s congestion-pricing program earlier this month. Registered voters across party lines approved by 45 percent to 23 percent who disapprove. Designed to charge a $15 daily toll for commuters driving into New York City to relieve congestion, the initiative would have taken effect on June 30 if it went forward.
A majority of suburban residents, the key demographic that would have been directly impacted by congestion pricing, backed the governor’s decision to indefinitely shelve the unpopular program, with 56 percent agreeing with the call.
Hochul said the state pivoted away from congestion pricing due to the large fiscal impact it would have had on New Yorkers, but Politico reported that potential voter backlash in the upcoming election played a larger role than she let on. House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (D., N.Y.) reportedly endorsed Hochul’s delay of the program, despite his office insisting that he remained “neutral” on the topic. Jeffries is currently working toward regaining the House majority this November after New York Democrats lost four seats in the 2022 midterms.
Moreover, the Democratic governor also gained points among voters for championing a bill that bans social-media platforms from targeting minors with addictive algorithm-based feeds without parental consent. Passed by the state legislature this month, the measure received an overwhelming bipartisan 70-12 percent support in the new poll. Hochul is set to sign the bill into law on Thursday.
“Despite strongly supporting Hochul’s decision to put congestion pricing on hold, and even more strongly supporting the social media bill she championed, voters now give Hochul the lowest favorability and job approval ratings she’s had in nearly three years as governor,” Siena pollster Steven Greenberg said.
“Among Democrats, she continues to have a two-to-one favorability rating and even stronger job approval rating,” he added. “However, she’s viewed unfavorably by 81% of Republicans and 61% of independents, while 84% of Republicans and 63% of independents disapprove of the job she’s doing as governor.”
The partisan divide is apparent when respondents are asked about Hochul’s characteristics. Democrats generally believe she works hard for the people of New York and demonstrates both honesty and integrity, while Republicans and independents largely disagree with those statements. She received slightly higher marks in December 2022.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden also performed poorly among New York voters in the same Siena poll. The Democratic incumbent has a 42-53 percent favorability rating, his lowest ever. In May, he had a 45-50 percent favorability rating. His job approval stands at 45-53 percent, slightly down from 46-51 percent last month.
Still, Biden leads former president Donald Trump by 47-39 percent overall. Three quarters of Democrats and 28 percent of independents say they would vote for Biden, while 85 percent of Republicans and 45 percent of independents support Trump.
Both presidential candidates seek to win a significant portion of independent votes, as independents constitute the largest voting bloc in the U.S. Gallup found earlier this year that 43 percent of Americans identify as independents, while Democrats and Republicans are each tied at 27 percent for party identification.