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Cuomo poll ratings down, but still higher than most pols

A new Siena College poll finds a slight drop in Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s popularity for the third month in a row. The poll finds the governor’s popularity has dropped to 64 percent -- still higher than most politicians in the country -- but an eight point slide from a 72 percent approval rating in  December.

Siena College’s Steve Greenberg says Cuomo spent political capital when he aggressively pushed a strict gun control law through the legislature early in January.  But Greenberg says while most New Yorkers support the new gun laws, nearly half now view the governor as politically motivated, rather than pressing for changes that benefit the people of the state.

“Although the gun law has certainly created a stir across the state, particularly upstate, the majority of voters are with the governor on guns. And they are strongly with him on a number of other prominent issues,” Greenberg said. “So, is it the gun law creating this mini-trend of three consecutive months of lower poll numbers? Or is it, to some degree, that nearly half of voters see recent decisions by the governor as being politically motivated?”

The poll also asked voters about the governor’s agenda, including raising the minimum wage, codifying a woman’s right to choose abortion in state law, and public financing of campaigns. It found the majority support all of those issues.

Karen DeWitt is Capitol Bureau Chief for New York State Public Radio, a network of 10 public radio stations in New York State. She has covered state government and politics for the network since 1990.