US Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) is gaining ground on Gov. Kathy Hochul in what is shaping up to be a bruising general election for the Empire State’s next governor — with the Republican firebrand gaining support among independents, a new poll shows.
Stefanik notched a notable 5-point increase in a head-to-head matchup against Hochul in Sienna University’s latest survey, shrinking the incumbent’s lead in the closely watched race.
The poll, conducted November 10-12 and released on Tuesday, has Hochul leading Stefanik 52% to 32% in the general election.
Hochul, meanwhile, didn’t gain any extra support in the latest survey. The Democrat led her Republican challenger 52% to 27% in September.
“In the race against Stefanik, Hochul continues to run very strongly with Democrats, 78-9%, however, Stefanik has now widened her lead among Republicans, 79-11%, up from 68-15% in September, and significantly narrowed the gap among independents, with whom Hochul now leads 40-36%, down from 43-25% in September,” Siena pollster Steven Greenberg said.
“Hochul has a 42-point lead in New York City but leads by only nine points in the downstate suburbs and a very narrow three points upstate.”
The poll also shows Hochul’s favorability has slipped over the last few months, dropping two points to 43%.
“Currently, 42% of voters are prepared to re-elect Hochul, while 48% would prefer ‘someone else,’ improved from 37-51% in September,” Greenberg said.
“Among the nearly half of voters who prefer ‘someone else,’ 30% say another Democrat, while a majority, 53%, say they would like to see a Republican as the next governor.”
The poll surveyed more than 800 registered New York voters.
