Monday, January 5, 2009

Kennedy Tanking in NY

Caroline Kennedy has made a pretty bad first impression with New York voters.

Our newest survey about the state's pending Senate vacancy finds that 44% of respondents have a less favorable opinion of Kennedy than they did before she started publicly angling for the appointment to replace Hillary Clinton. 33% said their opinion has not changed, and 23% said they now have a more favorable opinion of her.

The decline in Kennedy's standing comes across party lines, as a plurality of Democrats, Republicans, and independents all say they have a lesser opinion of Kennedy now than they did a month ago.

Overall 44% of the state's voters have a favorable opinion of Kennedy with 40% saying they view her unfavorably.

The benefit of the decline in Kennedy's popularity, at least in the court of public opinion, is Andrew Cuomo. 58% of the state's voters now say they would like to see him appointed to the Senate seat with 27% picking Kennedy. Cuomo is the choice of 65% of Republicans, 59% of independents, and 54% of Democrats.

It is noteworthy that even a majority of women- 57%- prefer Cuomo over Kennedy to take the seat being vacated by New York's first female Senator.

Cuomo is viewed positively by 57% of New York voters, compared to just 20% who see him unfavorably.

Ultimately the decision is completely up to Governor David Paterson, who continues to enjoy solid approval numbers. 50% are happy with the job he's doing while only 31% disapprove.

Full results here

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