Andrew Cuomo (D)
ALBANY, N.Y. (Legal Newsline)-New York voters say they do not expect state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to be appointed to the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Secretary of State-nominee Hillary Clinton, a poll indicates.
The Quinnipiac University survey found that 48 percent of respondents said they expected Gov. David Paterson to name Caroline Kennedy to the seat, while 25 percent said they expect the Democratic governor to appoint Cuomo, who served as secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Bill Clinton between 1997 and 2001.
The poll also found that 41 percent of voters say they thought Kennedy, the daughter of slain President John F. Kennedy, was not qualified to be a senator, while 40 percent said she was qualified.
Overall, 33 percent of state voters said the governor should name Kennedy to the seat, while 29 percent said they preferred Cuomo to serve as the state's junior senator.
In New York City, Kennedy leads Cuomo 42 to 27, while in conservative upstate New York districts, Cuomo, leads 31 to 27 percent, the poll indicates.
"Will we get another Kennedy in the Senate? Only Governor David Paterson knows for sure. Among New Yorkers in general, Caroline Kennedy's grade is just okay," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.
"Ask the question two ways: Should the Governor appoint Ms. Kennedy? New Yorkers give her a narrow lead over Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. Will he appoint her? Heavily, the answer is 'yes,'" she added.
On Cuomo's job approval, 72 percent of respondents said they approve of the job he's doing as the state's chief legal officer. That marks his highest rating since he became attorney general two years ago.
The Quinnipiac University poll of 834 New York registered voters was conducted Dec. 17 to Dec. 21. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.
From Legal Newsline: Reach reporter Chris Rizo at chrisrizo@legalnewsline.com.