June 22, 2010 - Cuomo Not Telling Us Enough About His Budget Plan, New York State Voters Tell Quinnipiac University Poll; But He Still Has Huge Approval And 2-1 Leads Word format New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, the Democratic candidate for Governor, is not doing enough to explain what he would do to fix the state's budget problems, New York State voters say 64 - 21 percent in a Quinnipiac University poll released today. Republicans say 68 - 20 percent Cuomo isn't explaining enough, an opinion shared by Democrats 58 - 26 percent and independent voters 71 - 15 percent, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds. Explaining his seeming silence, 38 percent of voters say Cuomo is "politely deferring" to Gov. David Paterson on the budget, but 41 percent say Cuomo is "ducking his responsibility." Independent voters split 40 - 41 percent on whether Cuomo is being polite or ducking. Democrats go with polite 43 - 34 percent, while Republicans say ducking 52 - 31 percent. But Cuomo still has a 72 - 16 percent approval rating and leads in the general election: 58 - 26 percent over Republican Rick Lazio, compared to 55 - 26 percent April 13; 59 - 23 percent over Republican Carl Paladino, compared to 60 - 24 percent. Lazio tops Paladino in a Republican primary 46 - 17 percent, with 28 percent undecided. Cuomo's 72 percent job approval, continuing a one-year string of plus 70 scores, includes a 56 - 29 percent approval among Republicans. "Imagine that: Voters want to hear more from a politician. Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has been too quiet on how we would solve Albany's budget mess, which he'll inherit - if he's elected," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "That's the verdict, 3-1, across the political spectrum. Even Democrats are impatient to hear from the Attorney General who would be Governor." "To put it more bluntly, is Cuomo just politely deferring to Gov. David Paterson, who is up to his ears in this year's budget mess, or is he ducking? New Yorkers split down the middle. The percentage giving him credit for minding his manners matches the percentage who think he's ducking his responsibilities," Carroll added. "Except for those reservations, you'd almost have to ask why we should bother with an election. Cuomo trounces both of the Republican would-be governors, who haven't gained an inch in two months. "If Andrew Cuomo gets the job that his father Mario Cuomo once held, would he do better or worse than Dad? About the same, 51 percent of New Yorkers think, while 20 percent say he'll be better than Dad and 10 percent say worse." New York State voters have a 57 - 18 percent favorable opinion of Cuomo. For Lazio, 56 percent haven't heard enough about him to form an opinion and 79 percent haven't heard enough about Paladino. U.S. Senate Race U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand gets a 44 - 27 percent approval rating and a 37 - 23 percent favorability, with 39 percent who don't know enough about her to form an opinion. She leads two largely unknown Republican challengers, 46 - 26 percent over Bruce Blakeman and 47 - 25 percent over David Malpass. For Blakeman, 87 percent don't know enough; for Malpass, the don't-know-enough is 90 percent. "Anonymity afflicts all the Republicans - even Rick Lazio, who ran a statewide race against Hillary Clinton. Remember? Here's a tougher memory test for political junkies: Do you remember what statewide job Bruce Blakeman ran for?" Carroll asked. U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer gets a 60 - 28 percent approval rating and voters say 52 - 33 percent that he deserves reelection. New York State voters disapprove 62 - 29 percent of the job Gov. Paterson is doing. Voters approve 55 - 39 percent of the job President Barack Obama is doing. From June 15 - 20, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,592 New York State registered voters, with a margin of error of +/- 2.5 percentage points. The survey includes 485 Republicans with a margin of error of +/- 4.5 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- http://www.quinnipiac.edu/polling.xml, call (203) 582-5201, or follow us on Twitter. 1. (If registered Republican) If the 2010 Republican primary for Governor were being held today and the candidates were Rick Lazio and Carl Paladino, for whom would you vote? REGISTERED REPS.. Tot Men Wom Lazio 46% 50% 42% Paladino 17 18 16 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 5 6 4 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 4 3 5 DK/NA 28 23 33 TREND: (If registered Republican) If the 2010 Republican primary for Governor were being held today and the candidates were Rick Lazio and Carl Paladino, for whom would you vote? REGISTERED REPS Jun 22 Apr 13 2010 2010 Lazio 46 34 Levy - 11 Paladino 17 11 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 5 2 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 4 2 DK/NA 28 40 2. (If registered Republican) If the 2010 Republican primary for United States Senator were being held today and the candidates were David Malpass and Bruce Blakeman, for whom would you vote? REGISTERED REPS.. Tot Men Wom Malpass 11% 11% 11% Blakeman 14 15 14 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 4 6 2 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 3 5 2 DK/NA 67 64 71 3. If the 2010 election for Governor were being held today and the candidates were Andrew Cuomo the Democrat and Rick Lazio the Republican, for whom would you vote? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Cuomo 58% 26% 86% 50% 58% 58% 52% 83% Lazio 26 65 4 29 27 25 33 4 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 2 2 1 2 2 1 1 1 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 1 - 1 2 2 1 1 2 DK/NA 13 7 9 17 11 15 12 10 UpState..... UpState Urban Othr Total NYC Sub Cuomo 61% 52% 53% 68% 50% Lazio 19 32 30 15 38 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1 2 2 2 1 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 2 2 2 1 1 DK/NA 17 12 13 14 11 TREND: If the 2010 election for Governor were being held today and the candidates were Andrew Cuomo the Democrat and Rick Lazio the Republican, for whom would you vote? Jun 22 Apr 13 Feb 3 Dec 15 Oct 21 2010 2010 2010 2009 2009 Cuomo 58 55 57 62 61 Lazio 26 26 25 22 22 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 2 2 1 1 2 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 1 2 2 1 2 DK/NA 13 15 11 14 13 4. If the 2010 election for Governor were being held today and the candidates were Andrew Cuomo the Democrat and Carl Paladino the Republican, for whom would you vote? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Cuomo 59% 30% 82% 54% 58% 59% 55% 76% Paladino 23 54 4 23 24 21 28 7 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 2 4 - 2 3 1 2 - WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 2 1 2 2 2 1 2 2 DK/NA 15 10 12 19 14 17 14 14 UpState..... UpState Urban Othr Total NYC Sub Cuomo 58% 54% 54% 63% 59% Paladino 17 29 27 17 24 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1 2 2 1 2 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 2 2 2 2 1 DK/NA 22 13 15 16 14 TREND: If the 2010 election for Governor were being held today and the candidates were Andrew Cuomo the Democrat and Carl Paladino the Republican, for whom would you vote? Jun 22 Apr 13 2010 2010 Cuomo 59 60 Paladino 23 24 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 2 1 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 2 2 DK/NA 15 14 5. 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 57% 36% 76% 54% 57% 57% 55% 68% Unfavorable 18 42 5 19 21 16 24 3 Hvn't hrd enough 22 20 16 23 19 24 19 26 REFUSED 3 2 3 4 4 3 2 3 TREND: Is your opinion of Andrew Cuomo favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him? (*High also 63% Apr 2009 and Feb 2009) FAVORABLE..... High Low Jun 22 Apr 13 Feb 3 Dec 15 Oct 21 Jun 24 May 13 2010 2010 2010 2009 2009 2009* 2009 Favorable 57 59 54 57 61 63 51 Unfavorable 18 19 16 14 13 15 13 Hvn't hrd enough 22 20 28 27 23 20 34 REFUSED 3 2 2 1 3 2 2 6. Is your opinion of - Rick Lazio favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Favorable 24% 51% 10% 26% 27% 22% 30% 6% Unfavorable 18 8 26 16 25 13 19 14 Hvn't hrd enough 56 40 63 56 47 64 50 79 REFUSED 1 - 1 2 1 1 1 - TREND: Is your opinion of Rick Lazio favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him? Jun 22 Apr 13 Feb 3 Dec 15 Oct 21 2010 2010 2010 2009 2009 Favorable 24 24 20 19 15 Unfavorable 18 19 15 13 13 Hvn't hrd enough 56 56 64 67 70 REFUSED 1 2 1 1 2 7. Is your opinion of - Carl Paladino favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Favorable 10% 24% 4% 9% 11% 10% 13% 4% Unfavorable 10 7 14 9 12 9 10 11 Hvn't hrd enough 79 69 81 82 77 81 77 83 REFUSED 1 - 1 1 1 1 1 1 TREND: Is your opinion of Carl Paladino favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him? Jun 22 Apr 13 2010 2010 Favorable 10 12 Unfavorable 10 8 Hvn't hrd enough 79 79 REFUSED 1 1 8. If the 2010 election for United States Senator were being held today and the candidates were Kirsten Gillibrand the Democrat and Bruce Blakeman the Republican, for whom would you vote? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Gillibrand 46% 13% 73% 37% 46% 46% 41% 64% Blakeman 26 67 4 26 27 25 32 9 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1 2 1 1 1 1 2 1 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 1 - 1 2 2 1 1 1 DK/NA 26 18 20 33 24 28 24 26 UpState..... UpState Urban Othr Total NYC Sub Gillibrand 47% 46% 46% 49% 39% Blakeman 21 29 27 20 33 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1 - - 2 1 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 1 1 1 2 1 DK/NA 31 24 25 27 26 TREND: If the 2010 election for United States Senator were being held today and the candidates were Kirsten Gillibrand the Democrat and Bruce Blakeman the Republican, for whom would you vote? Jun 22 Apr 13 Feb 3 2010 2010 2010 Gillibrand 46 47 44 Blakeman 26 25 27 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1 1 1 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 1 3 2 DK/NA 26 24 26 9. If the 2010 election for United States Senator were being held today and the candidates were Kirsten Gillibrand the Democrat and David Malpass the Republican, for whom would you vote? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Gillibrand 47% 16% 74% 38% 46% 47% 41% 66% Malpass 25 63 3 27 26 24 31 6 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 2 3 1 2 2 1 2 1 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 1 - 2 2 2 1 2 1 DK/NA 25 18 21 31 24 27 24 26 UpState..... UpState Urban Othr Total NYC Sub Gillibrand 45% 46% 46% 52% 39% Malpass 23 31 30 17 30 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1 - - 2 2 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) - 2 1 2 1 DK/NA 31 21 23 27 28 10. 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 37% 22% 50% 35% 38% 36% 36% 47% Unfavorable 23 50 7 27 27 20 30 8 Hvn't hrd enough 39 27 42 37 35 42 33 44 REFUSED 1 1 1 2 1 2 1 1 TREND: Is your opinion of Kirsten Gillibrand favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about her? (*High also 37% Apr 2010 / **Low also 24% Feb 2009) FAVORABLE.... High Low Jun 22 Apr 13 Feb 3 Dec 15 Jun 24 Jun 22 Apr 6 2010 2010 2010 2009 2009 2010* 2009** Favorable 37 37 33 26 25 37 24 Unfavorable 23 23 22 15 10 23 11 Hvn't hrd enough 39 39 44 58 63 39 64 REFUSED 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 11. Is your opinion of - Bruce Blakeman favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Favorable 8% 20% 3% 8% 8% 8% 9% 7% Unfavorable 5 1 9 3 9 2 4 9 Hvn't hrd enough 87 79 88 88 83 90 87 84 REFUSED - - - 1 - - - - TREND: Is your opinion of Bruce Blakeman favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him? Jun 22 Apr 13 Feb 3 2010 2010 2010 Favorable 8 7 11 Unfavorable 5 6 4 Hvn't hrd enough 87 87 84 REFUSED - - 1 12. Is your opinion of - David Malpass favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Favorable 7% 11% 5% 6% 9% 5% 6% 10% Unfavorable 3 3 3 2 4 2 3 3 Hvn't hrd enough 90 85 91 92 87 93 91 88 REFUSED - - - - - - - - 13. 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 29% 26% 31% 29% 30% 27% 28% 32% Disapprove 62 67 60 62 62 62 64 58 DK/NA 9 7 9 9 8 11 8 10 UpState..... UpState Urban Othr Total NYC Sub Approve 30% 31% 31% 29% 23% Disapprove 57 61 60 61 67 DK/NA 13 8 9 10 10 7 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way David Paterson is handling his job as Governor? (*Low also 21% Mar 2010) APPROVE....... DIS... High Low High Jun 22 Apr 13 Mar 10 Mar 5 Aug 6 Mar 10 Apr 13 2010 2010 2010 2010 2008 2010* 2010 Approve 29 25 21 21 64 21 25 Disapprove 62 65 61 61 14 61 65 DK/NA 9 10 17 18 22 17 10 14. 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 44% 27% 60% 39% 45% 44% 43% 57% Disapprove 27 48 11 33 30 24 32 11 DK/NA 29 25 29 28 26 32 26 32 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Kirsten Gillibrand is handling her job as United States Senator? APPROVE....... High Low Jun 22 Apr 13 Feb 3 Dec 15 Oct 21 Apr 13 Feb 17 2010 2010 2010 2009 2009 2010 2009 Approve 44 47 42 40 32 47 28 Disapprove 27 25 28 21 20 25 10 DK/NA 29 29 31 39 48 29 62 15. 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 60% 35% 78% 56% 57% 63% 59% 73% Disapprove 28 55 9 33 34 22 32 12 DK/NA 12 10 13 11 9 15 9 15 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Charles Schumer is handling his job as United States Senator? (*High app also 69% Oct 2001) APPROVE....... DIS... High Low High Jun 22 Apr 13 Feb 3 Dec 15 Dec 8 Apr 15 Feb 3 2010 2010 2010 2009 2004* 1999 2010 Approve 60 61 58 62 69 51 58 Disapprove 28 26 30 27 16 22 30 DK/NA 12 13 12 11 15 28 12 16. 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 55% 14% 84% 47% 53% 57% 46% 91% Disapprove 39 79 12 45 42 37 48 7 DK/NA 6 7 3 8 6 6 7 2 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as President? APPROVE...... High Low Jun 22 Apr 13 Feb 3 Dec 15 Oct 21 Feb 19 Jun 22 2010 2010 2010 2009 2009 2009 2010 Approve 55 62 57 59 62 72 55 Disapprove 39 33 38 36 32 17 39 DK/NA 6 5 5 5 6 10 6 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 72% 56% 83% 76% 72% 72% 72% 73% Disapprove 16 29 7 16 17 15 16 15 DK/NA 12 15 10 9 11 13 12 12 UpState..... UpState Urban Othr Total NYC Sub Approve 69% 73% 72% 73% 71% Disapprove 19 17 18 12 18 DK/NA 12 10 10 15 11 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Andrew Cuomo is handling his job as State Attorney General? APPROVE....... DIS... High Low High Jun 22 Apr 13 Mar 3 Feb 3 Feb 17 Feb 13 Jul 31 2010 2010 2010 2010 2009 2007 2007 Approve 72 74 70 71 76 42 68 Disapprove 16 14 16 15 11 16 19 DK/NA 12 12 14 15 13 42 14 21. Looking ahead to the 2010 election for United States Senator, do you feel that Charles Schumer deserves to be reelected, or do you feel that he does not deserve to be reelected? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Yes/deserves 52% 29% 70% 48% 52% 52% 51% 66% No/does not 33 60 15 37 36 30 36 18 DK/NA 15 10 16 14 12 18 12 16 UpState..... UpState Urban Othr Total NYC Sub Yes/deserves 48% 47% 47% 60% 48% No/does not 27 40 37 24 39 DK/NA 25 13 15 16 13 TREND: Looking ahead to the 2010 election for United States Senator, do you feel that Charles Schumer deserves to be reelected, or do you feel that he does not deserve to be reelected? Jun 22 Apr 13 Feb 3 2010 2010 2010 Yes/deserves 52 53 54 No/does not 33 32 33 DK/NA 15 15 13 22. Do you think Andrew Cuomo would be a better governor than his father, Mario Cuomo, a worse governor, or about the same? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Better 20% 21% 20% 22% 22% 19% 21% 17% Worse 10 15 6 11 13 7 11 5 About the same 51 54 55 49 48 55 51 61 DK/NA 18 10 19 18 17 20 18 17 UpState..... UpState Urban Othr Total NYC Sub Better 22% 23% 23% 16% 22% Worse 7 7 7 9 16 About the same 51 53 52 53 47 DK/NA 20 16 17 22 15 23. Do you think Andrew Cuomo has done enough to explain what he will do to correct New York State's budget problems if he is elected governor or not? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Yes 21% 20% 26% 15% 20% 22% 19% 31% No 64 68 58 71 68 60 66 57 DK/NA 15 12 16 14 13 17 15 12 UpState..... UpState Urban Othr Total NYC Sub Yes 19% 21% 21% 21% 22% No 57 65 63 64 65 DK/NA 23 14 16 16 13 24. Which comes closer to your point of view: Andrew Cuomo is politely deferring to the current governor on the budget or Andrew Cuomo is ducking his responsibility as a candidate to make his positions known? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Deferring 38% 31% 43% 40% 39% 37% 38% 35% Ducking 41 52 34 41 43 38 41 44 DK/NA 21 17 23 19 18 25 21 21 UpState..... UpState Urban Othr Total NYC Sub Deferring 44% 37% 39% 37% 38% Ducking 34 43 42 39 40 DK/NA 22 19 20 23 21