PPP’s new New York poll finds that Chuck Schumer is one of the most popular Senators in the country. 53% of voters approve of him to only 25% who disapprove- it is very unusual for us these days to find anyone with an approval rating over 5o%. In addition to being generally popular with Democrats (65/13), Schumer also has a much higher than normal level of crossover popularity with Republicans at 32% approval and just 48% disapproval. Schumer leads Wendy Long 55-23 in a hypothetical match for reelection this fall. New York generally has one of the country’s most popular Senate delegations as Kirsten Gillibrand is well liked by voters in the state as well, with a 47/21 approval spread.
Andrew Cuomo is narrowly popular with voters in the state, with 43% approving of him to 38% who disapprove. He starts out with a 49/26 lead over GOP Congressman Chris Gibson in their hypothetical 2018 match up. Part of that is a reflection of how little known Gibson is- 80% of voters in the state say they have no opinion about him one way or another. Cuomo also leads a hypothetical primary challenge against Attorney General Eric Schneiderman 49-22, although people who want to see Schneiderman run might take in heart in Cuomo being under 50% even though the AG has just 43% name recognition at this point. Finally we find that voters generally trust Cuomo over Bill de Blasio when the two clash, 40/21, including a 39/35 advantage for Cuomo even in New York City.
We checked in on how New Yorkers are feeling these days about some of the state’s major politicians of the past. Rudy Giuliani (46/35) and Michael Bloomberg (43/31) are both still seen pretty favorably statewide while attitudes toward George Pataki (35/35) are split and Eliot Spitzer (22/54) continues to be a very unpopular figure. It’s worth noting that in New York City itself voters have a much more positive opinion of their last Mayor (53/29 for Bloomberg) than their second to last Mayor (34/47 for Giuliani).
We also tested a variety of issues. Donald Trump recently said women who receive abortions should be punished, but only 5% of New Yorkers agree with that sentiment to 84% who disagree. Even among Republicans just 9% agree with Trump on that one to 71% who don’t.
Obamacare is popular in New York, with 50% of voters supporting it to 30% who disapprove. 88% of voters- including 92% of Democrats, 84% of independents, and 81% of Republicans- support background checks on all gun purchases to only 6% who are opposed to them. 77% of voters- including 91% of Democrats, 68% of independents, and 55% of Republicans- support the EPA Clean Power Plan to only 18% opposed to that.
Hamilton has been all the rage in New York City over the last year, but Alexander Hamilton’s newfound popularity still isn’t enough to rank him as the state’s favorite founding father. Benjamin Franklin wins out on that front with 30% to 23% for George Washington, 17% for Thomas Jefferson, 9% for Hamilton, 9% for John Adams, and 2% for poor James Madison who the play makes look like a nitwit. There’s a partisan divide on this question with Democrats preferring Franklin to Washington 34/18, while Republicans take Washington over Franklin 34/20.
Hamilton may not be New York’s favorite founding father, but he is seen in a pretty positive light with 48% of voters having a favorable opinion of him to 10% with a negative one. He’s in much better standing with the electorate than nemesis Aaron Burr, who has just a 13% favorability rating to 33% of voters with an unfavorable view of him. In a hypothetical Gubernatorial contest between Hamilton and Burr, Hamilton takes 48% to 6% for Burr, with 38% saying ‘neither because they’re both dead.’ We also asked some questions about the play itself. Overall 45% of New Yorkers say they’re interested in seeing it to 31% who aren’t. There’s an interest party divide with Democrats saying 53/28 they’d like to see it, but Republicans saying 35/38 they’re uninterested. It’s a similar split when it comes to the issue of George Washington being portrayed by a black actor. Overall voters are fine with it 49/28, but Democrats approve 61/20 while Republicans disapprove 31/42.
As long as we’re on the issue of history, we asked voters who their favorite President from New York is and it came up all Roosevelts. Franklin leads the way with 33% to 31% for Teddy, followed by Martin Van Buren and Millard Fillmore at 5%, Grover Cleveland at 4%, and Chester Arthur at 3%. Predictably Democrats take Franklin over Teddy 42/25, while Republicans take Teddy over Franklin 48/18. Neither President is the favorite Roosevelt of New Yorkers though- on that front Eleanor with 35% to 26% for Uncle Teddy and 22% for husband Franklin.
We asked New Yorkers about their favorite and least favorite boroughs of New York City. Manhattan wins favorite borough honors with 37% to 22% for Brooklyn, 11% for Queens, 7% for the Bronx, and 5% for Staten Island. The Bronx wins least favorite with 29% to 21% for Staten Island, 11% for Brooklyn, 7% for Manhattan, and 5% for Queens. There’s partisan agreement on the supremacy of Manhattan but there’s division when it comes to the least favorite- Republicans pick the Bronx over Staten Island 33/12, while Democrats take Staten Island 28/26. On the topic of Staten Island, 24% of New Yorkers support ceding it to New Jersey while 43% want to keep it and 34% aren’t sure.
Moving on to sports the Mets may be hot right now, but the Yankees are still by far the state’s favorite team at 42% to 25% for the Mets, 5% for the Red Sox, and 3% for the Dodgers with no one else registering over 2%. Neither of the two teams’ most famous players are actually that well known to voters in the state. Alex Rodriguez has a 25/29 favorability rating, with 46% having no opinion about him, and Matt Harvey has a 20/8 favorability rating, with 72% having no opinion about him.
Terrible as they may be the Knicks continue to be the NBA team of choice for 31% of voters in the state to 12% for the Nets, 7% for the Celtics, 6% for the Cavaliers, and 4% for the Warriors. Knicks fans are pretty clear on who they want to be the franchise’s next coach- 63% support hiring Patrick Ewing to only 7% who are opposed to going that direction.
The Rangers lead the state’s hockey loyalties with 32% to 14% each for the Sabres and Islanders, 5% for the Devils, and 4% for the Bruins. The Giants lead on the football front with 32% to 16% for the Bills, 12% for the Jets, 6% for the Patriots, 5% for the Broncos, 4% for the Cowboys, and 3% for the Packers. And on the college sports loyalty front Syracuse leads with 17% to 11% for St. John’s, 10% for Buffalo, 9% for Notre Dame, 7% for Army, 5% for Michigan, and 4% for Rutgers.
And finally we polled on 3 more key New York issues:
-By a 63/14 spread voters in the state prefer Metro Cards to tokens for riding the subway. It’s 84/9 among people who actually live in New York City.
-By a 62/13 spread New Yorkers express agreement with the sentiment that ‘the Rent is too Damn High.’ In NYC it’s a 79/11 agreement.
-And finally John Kasich may get clobbered in New York next week, but it won’t be because of pizza. 55% of voters in the state say they think it’s acceptable to eat pizza with a fork, to only 33% who think it’s unacceptable.
Full results here
