LOUDONVILLE, New York (WWNY) – Gov. Kathy Hochul’s favorability and job approval ratings both ticked down this month.
That’s according to a poll Siena College released Monday.
New York state voters gave Hochul a 46-43% favorability rating, down from last month’s 48-42%. Her job approval rating was 56-40% this month and 56-36% last month.
Pollster Steven Greenberg says voters give Hochul a mixed report card when it comes to specific aspects of her job.
“A majority approve of the job she’s doing to encourage businesses to locate in New York and a small plurality approve of the job she’s doing to increase availability of affordable housing,” he said. “At the same time, a plurality disapproves of the job she’s doing to address crime, and a majority disapproves of her efforts to make New York more affordable.”
Greenberg notes that Democrats approve of the job she’s doing in all four areas, with disapproval in all four areas from Republican and independents.
As far as what should be Albany’s top priorities for the state, crime tops the list with 36%, followed by the cost of living at 27% and affordable housing at 13%. Public health, the environment, and racial justice trail in the single digits.
Ninety-two percent of New Yorkers say crime continues to be a serious problem and two-thirds say it’s a serious problem in their community.
Voters are somewhat in agreement about how extreme the country’s two major political parties are.
By 57-30%, they say the national Republican Party has become too extreme. By a smaller 51-38% margin, they say the national Democratic Party has become too extreme.
Nearly three-quarters of Democrats think Republicans are too extreme and a similar number of Republicans say the same about Democrats.
Independents think they’re both too extreme. Sixty-one percent say Democrats are too extreme and 54% give the label to Republicans.
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