WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – Governor Hochul’s approval rate jumped from a positive five points last month to a 20-point positive approval rate Monday. Her favorability is up 4 points from last month.
A pollster says it goes to show you just how much people change their minds.
“A poll is a snapshot in time, so at this particular moment, this is how voters feel,” said Steven Greenberg, a Siena College Pollster.
The new year starts on a high note for Governor Hochul with record highs of people who approve of her job and like her.
According to a Siena College Poll out Monday, her approval rating is 56%. That’s up from last month’s 49%.
Her favorability rating is 48%, up from 45% in December.
“Downstaters, Independents, and a little bit of everybody else, but mainly downstate suburbanites, and Independent voters is the reason Hochul saw this huge increase this month,” said Greenberg.
From inflation to bail reform, seven things Hochul said in her State of the State Address got overwhelming support, with four getting the nod across the aisle.
“On six of them, there’s overwhelming support for those proposals. On four of those six, there is overwhelming bipartisan support,” said Greenberg.
One of her proposals: Basing increases in New York’s minimum wage on the rate of inflation, had the approval of 76% of all voters.
And Hochul’s proposal to give judges more discretion to set bail for those accused of serious crimes? 65% of all voters support it.
“When it’s not in a campaign mode, when it’s a government mode, and she’s out talking about things that we now know the voters like and support, maybe that’s helping her a little bit,” said Greenberg.
Assemblyman Scott Gray says it makes sense given the events since the new year.
“Inauguration, as the first female-elected governor, she’s coming off the State of the State, that had significant platitudes in terms of public policy. The opening of the university games. All very positive events, one right after the other,” said Gray.
Assemblyman Ken Blankebush says “I don’t put much stock into the governor’s poll numbers. She is coming off a recent embarrassing defeat of her chief judge pick by members of her own party. This puts her and her promises in a compromised position in negotiating the upcoming budget. I hope she stays true to her word and works with us on fixing bail reform and returning public safety to our communities.”
Mark Walczyk replied “The recent Siena College poll indicated New Yorker’s want judges to have discretion on setting bail, they don’t want their taxes raised, they believe crime is a serious problem in our state and they aren’t confident the leadership in Albany will do anything in the near future to make their lives more affordable.”
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