New Yorkers Sour On The Empire State

With four months remaining before Election Day, a new co/Efficient poll suggests Gov. Kathy Hochul may face a difficult political environment as a significant share of New Yorkers express dissatisfaction with the state’s overall direction.

The survey found 48 percent of respondents believe New York is headed in the wrong direction, compared with 35 percent who said the state is moving in the right direction. Another 18 percent were unsure. While the poll did not ask voters to assign blame for the state’s direction, such findings often serve as a barometer of public sentiment toward an incumbent administration.

For Hochul, who is seeking reelection, the results indicate she will have to persuade voters that her policies are improving the state’s trajectory.

The partisan divide was stark. Republicans overwhelmingly said New York is on the wrong track, 85 percent to 11 percent, while Democrats were nearly the reverse, with 52 percent saying the state is headed in the right direction and 24 percent saying it is not. Independents and other voters leaned negative, with 50 percent saying the state is headed in the wrong direction and 28 percent saying the right direction.

Age also revealed significant differences. Voters between 18 and 34 were the only age group more likely to say New York is moving in the right direction, 42 percent to 19 percent. By contrast, voters ages 45 to 54 and 55 to 64 registered the strongest dissatisfaction, with 58 percent in each group saying the state is headed in the wrong direction.

Regionally, New York City was closely divided, with 43 percent saying the state is on the wrong track and 39 percent saying it is headed in the right direction. Upstate voters were considerably more pessimistic. Rochester and Syracuse each recorded more than 60 percent saying New York is headed in the wrong direction, while Buffalo registered 60 percent.

The findings come as Hochul prepares for a general election campaign against Republican Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman. A separate ballot test conducted by co/Efficient found Hochul leading Blakeman by just six percentage points, suggesting voter attitudes about the state’s direction could become a central issue in the fall campaign.