Most New Yorkers Don't Want Cuomo To Seek Re-Election: Siena Poll

NEW YORK — A majority of New York voters say they do not want Gov. Andrew Cuomo to run for office again, according to a Siena College poll released Thursday.

Thirty-nine percent of those surveyed said the embattled Democrat should finish out his third term but not seek re-election, while 23 percent said he should resign immediately.

"The good news for the Governor is that only 23 percent of New Yorkers want him to resign immediately," said Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg. "However, when you add those voters to the 39 percent who say he should serve out his term but not seek re-election, 62 percent say he should not run for a fourth term."

In the poll, 33 percent of respondents said Cuomo should run for re-election next year. Separately, 35 percent of New Yorkers said they would vote to re-elect Cuomo, while 56 percent said they would prefer "someone else" in charge.

At the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, Cuomo became a household name across the country for his no-nonsense approach to handling the crisis. But now he is under fire — and under investigation — for reportedly misclassifying COVID-19 nursing home deaths and sexually harassing his staffers.

In January, New York's attorney general reported that the Cuomo administration excluded thousands of nursing home fatalities from the state's death toll. The governor said everything reported was accurate, but admitted that there was a delay in providing the press and the public information.

Around that time, multiple women accused Cuomo of sexual harassment, which prompted calls from some state lawmakers for his resignation or impeachment. The 63-year-old Democrat denied any wrongdoing and apologized for any behavior that potentially made women feel uncomfortable.

According to the poll, respondents were split on the investigations into Cuomo, and whether he should be impeached.

"When it comes to impeachment, voters are more closely divided with 45 percent, a plurality, saying the (New York State) Assembly should not impeach Cuomo, while 35 percent — including one-quarter of Democrats — would like to see the Assembly impeach the Governor," Greenberg said.

Forty-two percent of voters said investigators will find evidence of sexual harassment against Cuomo. Many Republicans believe it, as do a plurality of independents, according to the poll. Democrats are evenly divided.

On the other hand, 32 percent of those surveyed do not believe there will be evidence of sexual harassment.

Overall, Cuomo received strong grades for his response to the pandemic in New York. But when it came time to answer questions about how he handled nursing homes during the crisis, 60 percent of voters said he did a bad job.

Siena College's poll was conducted June 22-29 among 809 New York voters. The poll can be found here.