LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. (Legal Newsline) - Republican challenger Rob Astorino has gained a little ground on New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and is no longer trialing the Democratic incumbent by a margin that is greater than 30 points, a new poll shows.
Nevertheless, Cuomo still maintains a commanding lead over the Westchester County executive, 57-28 percent, according to a Quinnipiac University Poll released on Wednesday.
On March 24, Siena College released a poll showing Cuomo led Astorino by a margin of 35 percent.
Cuomo's lead drops to 37-24 percent if a more liberal or progressive candidate runs on the Working Families Party line, the poll found.
Cuomo's support among Democrats drops from 87 percent in the two-way matchup to 55 percent in the hypothetical three-way race, with 27 percent of Democrats voting for the unnamed Working Families Party candidate and 15 percent undecided, the poll states.
"A Working Families Party liberal would cut heavily into New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's support, especially among younger voters, but he'd still be an easy winner over his Republican challenger," said Maurice Carroll, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University poll.
"New Yorkers say the governor deserves a second term and, overwhelmingly, they rate him as a strong leader."
New York state voters approve 59-32 percent of the job Cuomo is doing as governor, compared to 63-28 percent in February, and say 55-34 percent he deserves re-election, the poll shows.
Reach David Yates at elections@legalnewsline.com.
Republican challenger gains little ground on N.Y. Gov. Cuomo
