FOR RELEASE: APRIL 6, 2009
VOTERS SAY 3-1 PATERSON DOES NOT DESERVE ELECTION,
QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY POLL FINDS;
MOST SAY HE SHOULD ANNOUNCE NOW HE WON’T RUN
New York State voters disapprove 60 – 28 percent of the job Gov. David Paterson is doing, the lowest approval ever for a New York Governor, and say 63 – 22 percent that he does not deserve to be elected to a full four-year term, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.
Gov. Paterson’s approval is so low that he should announce now that he won’t run for election to a four-year term next year, 53 percent of voters tell the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll, while 39 percent say he can restore his reputation and should run next year. Even Democrats say 49 – 45 percent that he should drop out of the race now.
New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, with a near-record high 75 – 14 percent approval rating, tops Paterson in a Democratic primary 61 – 18 percent.
In a general election, Republican Rudolph Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, tops Paterson 53 – 32 percent.
Cuomo tops Giuliani 53 – 36 percent in a head-to-head matchup.
Voters disapprove 70 – 19 percent of the way Paterson is handling the New York State budget. Democrats disapprove 63 – 25 percent.
“So long, David, voters tell Gov. Paterson. His job approval tanks at 28 percent. The slide started with the Caroline Kennedy flap and deepened with the humongous state budget passed last week. The budget was an opportunity for Paterson to reverse his slide, but voters disapprove almost 4-1 of the way he handled it,” said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.
“Don’t wait for 2010, Governor, New Yorkers say. Announce now that you won’t run. Voters say almost 3-1 Paterson doesn’t deserve a full 4-year term.”
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Quinnipiac University Poll/April 6, 2009 – page 2
“There’s nothing good for Paterson in this poll. Cuomo, who has minded his manners during Paterson’s collapse, saying nothing about the Governor, trounces Paterson in a theoretical match-up. Giuliani whomps Paterson, too.”
“This poll has nothing but good news for Cuomo. His job approval is stratospheric, duplicating his 76 percent approval in February. And in election matchups, he leads Paterson more than 3-1 and shows he’s the Democrat who can beat Giuliani,” Carroll said.
New York State voters give Cuomo a 63 – 17 percent favorability rating, with a 43 – 33 percent positive among Republicans. Paterson gets a negative 27 – 55 percent favorability and Giuliani gets a positive 55 – 35 percent.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand
New York’s newest U.S. Senator, Kirsten Gillibrand, gets a 33 – 13 percent approval rating, with 54 percent undecided. In fact, 64 percent of voters do not know enough about Sen. Gilliband to form an opinion of her.
In a Democratic primary matchup, Gillibrand trails U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy 33 – 29 percent, with 33 percent undecided. Here, too, 68 percent do not know enough about McCarthy to form an opinion.
In a 2010 general election matchup, Gillibrand leads U.S. Rep. Peter King, a possible Republican challenger, 40 – 28 percent, with 28 percent undecided.
“While watching Paterson’s dive, voters aren’t paying much attention to the Senate. Sen. Gillibrand, the new kid, trails Congresswoman McCarthy in a Democratic match-up and leads Congressman King in a general election. But the ‘don't know’ numbers are high for all three,” Carroll said.
From April 1- 5, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,528 New York State registered voters, with a margin of error of +/- 2.5 percentage points. The survey includes 664 Democrats with a margin of error of +/- 3.8 percentage points.
The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts public opinion surveys in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio and nationwide as a public service and for research.
For more data or RSS feed – , or call (203) 582-5201.
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1. (If registered Democrat) If the 2010 Democratic primary for Governor were
being held today and the candidates were David Paterson and Andrew Cuomo, for
whom would you vote?
Reg
Dems
Paterson 18%
Cuomo 61
SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1
WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 3
DK/NA 17
TREND: (If registered Democrat) If the 2010 Democratic primary for Governor were
being held today and the candidates were David Paterson and Andrew Cuomo, for
whom would you vote?
Apr 06 Feb 17
2009 2009
Paterson 18 23
Cuomo 61 55
SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1 1
WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 3 1
DK/NA 17 20
2. (If registered Democrat) If the 2010 Democratic primary for United States
Senator were being held today and the candidates were Kirsten Gillibrand and
Carolyn McCarthy, for whom would you vote?
Reg
Dems
Gillibrand 29%
McCarthy 33
SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1
WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 3
DK/NA 33
TREND: (If registered Democrat) If the 2010 Democratic primary for United States
Senator were being held today and the candidates were Kirsten Gillibrand and
Carolyn McCarthy, for whom would you vote?
Apr 06 Feb 17
2009 2009
Gillibrand 29 24
McCarthy 33 34
SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1 1
WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 3 2
DK/NA 33 39
3. If the 2010 election for Governor were being held today and the candidates
were David Paterson the Democrat and Rudy Giuliani the Republican, for whom
would you vote?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk
Paterson 32% 6% 57% 21% 33% 32% 26% 69%
Giuliani 53 84 29 61 53 52 60 15
SMONE ELSE(VOL) 2 2 1 5 3 1 3 1
WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 4 2 5 4 3 4 3 8
DK/NA 9 7 8 10 8 10 9 7
UpState..... UpState
Urban Othr Total NYC Sub
Paterson 25% 24% 24% 49% 22%
Giuliani 62 60 60 36 64
SMONE ELSE(VOL) 2 3 3 2 1
WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 2 3 3 5 3
DK/NA 9 9 9 8 10
TREND: If the 2010 election for Governor were being held today and the
candidates were David Paterson the Democrat and Rudy Giuliani the Republican,
for whom would you vote?
Apr 06 Feb 17
2009 2009
Paterson 32 43
Giuliani 53 43
SMONE ELSE(VOL) 2 2
WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 4 2
DK/NA 9 10
4. If the 2010 election for governor were being held today and the candidates
were Andrew Cuomo the Democrat and Rudy Giuliani the Republican, for whom
would you vote?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk
Cuomo 53% 20% 78% 49% 51% 55% 48% 82%
Giuliani 36 71 16 38 40 32 41 8
SMONE ELSE(VOL) - - - 1 1 - - -
WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 2 2 1 1 2 1 1 5
DK/NA 9 7 5 12 6 11 10 5
UpState..... UpState
Urban Othr Total NYC Sub
Cuomo 47% 48% 48% 63% 47%
Giuliani 35 41 40 27 43
SMONE ELSE(VOL) - 1 1 - -
WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) - 1 1 3 1
DK/NA 17 9 10 7 10
TREND: If the 2010 election for governor were being held today and the
candidates were Andrew Cuomo the Democrat and Rudy Giuliani the Republican, for
whom would you vote?
Apr 06 Feb 17
2009 2009
Cuomo 53 51
Giuliani 36 37
SMONE ELSE(VOL) - 1
WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 2 2
DK/NA 9 9
5. If the 2010 election for United States Senator were being held today and
the candidates were Kirsten Gillibrand the Democrat and Peter King the
Republican, for whom would you vote?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk
Gillibrand 40% 14% 63% 33% 40% 40% 38% 57%
King 28 60 10 29 33 24 32 13
SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1 - 1 1 2 1 1 -
WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 3 1 4 2 3 4 3 4
DK/NA 28 24 22 35 22 32 25 27
UpState..... UpState
Urban Othr Total NYC Sub
Gillibrand 39% 44% 43% 44% 30%
King 27 25 26 20 44
SMONE ELSE(VOL) 2 1 1 1 1
WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 3 3 3 6 1
DK/NA 29 27 27 30 25
TREND: If the 2010 election for United States Senator were being held today and
the candidates were Kirsten Gillibrand the Democrat and Peter King the
Republican, for whom would you vote?
Apr 06 Feb 17
2009 2009
Gillibrand 40 42
King 28 26
SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1 2
WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 3 2
DK/NA 28 28
6. Is your opinion of Andrew Cuomo favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard
enough about him?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk
Favorable 63% 43% 77% 61% 62% 64% 61% 76%
Unfavorable 17 33 7 18 22 13 19 12
Hvn't hrd enough 18 21 15 19 14 21 18 9
REFUSED 2 3 1 2 2 3 3 2
Cont’d
6. (Cont’d) Is your opinion of Andrew Cuomo favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard
enough about him?
UpState..... UpState
Urban Othr Total NYC Sub
Favorable 64% 58% 59% 67% 65%
Unfavorable 17 19 19 16 16
Hvn't hrd enough 17 21 20 15 16
REFUSED 2 2 2 2 3
7. Is your opinion of David Paterson favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard
enough about him?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk
Favorable 27% 17% 39% 18% 27% 26% 23% 50%
Unfavorable 55 65 42 66 57 54 61 32
Hvn't hrd enough 14 14 14 11 11 16 11 16
REFUSED 4 4 4 5 6 4 5 2
UpState..... UpState
Urban Othr Total NYC Sub
Favorable 31% 21% 22% 34% 24%
Unfavorable 57 62 61 45 58
Hvn't hrd enough 11 12 12 18 13
REFUSED 2 6 5 3 5
8. Is your opinion of Rudy Giuliani favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard
enough about him?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk
Favorable 55% 84% 35% 60% 57% 53% 60% 15%
Unfavorable 35 6 56 30 35 34 29 74
Hvn't hrd enough 7 7 6 7 4 10 8 5
REFUSED 4 3 3 4 4 4 3 6
UpState..... UpState
Urban Othr Total NYC Sub
Favorable 54% 62% 60% 41% 65%
Unfavorable 26 25 25 53 26
Hvn't hrd enough 14 11 12 3 4
REFUSED 6 2 3 4 5
9. Is your opinion of Kirsten Gillibrand favorable, unfavorable or haven't you
heard enough about her?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk
Favorable 24% 23% 25% 26% 28% 21% 26% 20%
Unfavorable 11 15 8 11 12 10 12 2
Hvn't hrd enough 64 60 65 62 58 69 61 77
REFUSED 1 2 1 2 2 1 2 1
9. (Cont’d) Is your opinion of Kirsten Gillibrand favorable, unfavorable or haven't you
heard enough about her?
UpState..... UpState
Urban Othr Total NYC Sub
Favorable 31% 35% 34% 15% 18%
Unfavorable 7 11 10 11 12
Hvn't hrd enough 61 53 54 73 69
REFUSED 2 2 2 1 2
10. Is your opinion of Carolyn McCarthy favorable, unfavorable or haven't you
heard enough about her?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk
Favorable 23% 10% 32% 22% 22% 23% 22% 26%
Unfavorable 8 16 3 10 11 6 9 3
Hvn't hrd enough 68 73 66 67 66 71 68 71
REFUSED 1 1 - 1 1 1 1 1
UpState..... UpState
Urban Othr Total NYC Sub
Favorable 7% 11% 10% 28% 39%
Unfavorable 5 4 4 5 21
Hvn't hrd enough 87 84 84 67 38
REFUSED - 1 1 - 2
11. Is your opinion of Peter King favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard
enough about him?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk
Favorable 22% 35% 12% 25% 28% 16% 23% 21%
Unfavorable 11 3 18 8 15 7 11 9
Hvn't hrd enough 67 60 70 66 56 75 65 70
REFUSED 1 1 - 1 1 1 1 -
UpState..... UpState
Urban Othr Total NYC Sub
Favorable 15% 13% 13% 21% 40%
Unfavorable 7 7 7 14 12
Hvn't hrd enough 78 79 79 65 45
REFUSED - 1 1 1 2
12. Do you approve or disapprove of the way David Paterson is handling his job
as Governor?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk
Approve 28% 21% 34% 25% 29% 26% 25% 45%
Disapprove 60 66 51 68 62 58 65 42
DK/NA 13 13 15 7 9 16 11 14
Cont’d
12. (Cont’d) Do you approve or disapprove of the way David Paterson is handling his job
as Governor?
UpState..... UpState
Urban Othr Total NYC Sub
Approve 30% 25% 25% 32% 25%
Disapprove 63 65 64 53 61
DK/NA 8 11 10 15 14
TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way David Paterson is handling his
job as Governor?
Highest Lowest
Approve Approve
Apr 06 Feb 17 Jan 26 Jan 15 Dec 24 Aug 06 Apr 06
2009 2009 2009 2009 2008 2008 2009
Approve 28 45 50 53 53 64 28
Disapprove 60 41 30 25 29 14 60
DK/NA 13 14 20 22 18 22 13
13. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Kirsten Gillibrand is handling her
job as United States Senator?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk
Approve 33% 30% 42% 26% 36% 30% 33% 36%
Disapprove 13 17 8 14 16 10 12 16
DK/NA 54 53 50 60 48 60 55 48
UpState..... UpState
Urban Othr Total NYC Sub
Approve 37% 41% 40% 30% 21%
Disapprove 16 12 13 14 11
DK/NA 47 47 47 56 68
14. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Charles Schumer is handling his job
as United States Senator?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk
Approve 61% 48% 77% 53% 59% 63% 59% 77%
Disapprove 25 43 9 34 32 20 29 10
DK/NA 14 10 14 13 9 17 13 13
UpState..... UpState
Urban Othr Total NYC Sub
Approve 61% 54% 55% 70% 59%
Disapprove 27 30 29 17 30
DK/NA 12 16 15 13 11
15. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as
president?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk
Approve 71% 40% 95% 66% 68% 74% 66% 95%
Disapprove 21 45 2 27 26 17 25 2
DK/NA 7 15 2 8 6 8 9 4
UpState..... UpState
Urban Othr Total NYC Sub
Approve 69% 64% 65% 80% 71%
Disapprove 25 26 25 14 24
DK/NA 6 11 10 6 5
16. Do you approve or disapprove of the way the state legislature is handling
its job?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk
Approve 26% 23% 36% 17% 25% 27% 21% 45%
Disapprove 58 68 46 68 66 51 64 34
DK/NA 16 10 19 15 9 22 16 21
UpState..... UpState
Urban Othr Total NYC Sub
Approve 23% 21% 21% 31% 27%
Disapprove 66 64 65 51 56
DK/NA 11 15 14 18 17
17. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Thomas DiNapoli is handling his job
as State Comptroller?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk
Approve 26% 26% 29% 22% 27% 25% 27% 24%
Disapprove 19 25 16 19 23 15 18 22
DK/NA 56 49 54 59 50 60 55 54
UpState..... UpState
Urban Othr Total NYC Sub
Approve 33% 26% 28% 22% 28%
Disapprove 22 21 21 18 15
DK/NA 45 53 52 60 56
18. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Andrew Cuomo is handling his job as
State Attorney General?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk
Approve 75% 64% 85% 73% 75% 75% 73% 92%
Disapprove 14 25 5 16 19 10 15 6
DK/NA 11 11 10 11 6 15 12 2
Cont’d
18. (Cont’d) Do you approve or disapprove of the way Andrew Cuomo is handling his job as
State Attorney General?
UpState..... UpState
Urban Othr Total NYC Sub
Approve 77% 70% 71% 78% 77%
Disapprove 16 16 16 13 11
DK/NA 8 14 13 9 12
19. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Sheldon Silver is handling his job
as State Assembly Speaker?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk
Approve 28% 26% 36% 22% 29% 28% 25% 48%
Disapprove 36 45 25 47 47 27 42 14
DK/NA 36 29 39 32 24 45 33 38
UpState..... UpState
Urban Othr Total NYC Sub
Approve 26% 24% 24% 36% 26%
Disapprove 40 41 41 31 33
DK/NA 34 36 35 33 41
20. Looking ahead to the 2010 election for Governor, do you feel that David
Paterson deserves to be elected to a full 4 year term, or do you feel that he
does not deserve to be elected to a full 4 year term?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk
Yes/Deserves 22% 15% 31% 16% 21% 22% 18% 42%
No/Does Not 63 75 52 70 65 61 68 46
DK/NA 16 11 18 14 14 17 15 13
UpState..... UpState
Urban Othr Total NYC Sub
Yes/Deserves 18% 19% 19% 29% 16%
No/Does Not 70 66 67 55 65
DK/NA 12 15 14 16 19
30. Do you approve or disapprove of the way David Paterson is handling the state budget?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk
Approve 19% 16% 25% 13% 20% 18% 17% 29%
Disapprove 70 77 63 77 71 69 72 63
DK/NA 11 7 12 9 8 13 11 8
UpState..... UpState
Urban Othr Total NYC Sub
Approve 18% 16% 16% 23% 21%
Disapprove 78 74 75 65 68
DK/NA 4 10 9 13 11
41. Do you think Governor Paterson can restore his reputation and should run
for election next year for a full term as Governor or do you think his standing
in public opinion polls is so low that he should announce now that he won't run
for election?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk
Should run 39% 36% 45% 35% 40% 38% 37% 50%
Should announce
won't run 53 53 49 59 53 53 54 43
DK/NA 9 11 6 6 7 10 9 8
UpState..... UpState
Urban Othr Total NYC Sub
Should run 39% 33% 34% 43% 41%
Should announce
won't run 51 58 56 49 50
DK/NA 10 9 10 7 9
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