Majority of New Yorkers say Cuomo should not run for reelection: poll

A majority of New Yorkers say Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) should not run for reelection in 2022, according to a new Siena College poll.

The poll found 39 percent of voters believe Cuomo should finish out his current term and not seek reelection, while 23 percent say they want him to resign immediately from his position. 

Cuomo has faced calls to resign from both sides of the political aisle for a list of accusations including alleged sexual harassment of female employees to allegedly smudging the number of nursing home deaths during the coronavirus pandemic.

The governor is under investigation by federal prosecutors for the nursing home deaths and by the state attorney general for the sexual harassment allegations. 

Cuomo has denied all allegations against him and has made clear he has no intention to resign.

Only 33 percent of respondents said they think he should run for reelection, and only 35 percent of voters said they would vote to reelect Cuomo.

Forty-two percent of voters say evidence of sexual harassment will be found during the investigation, with even half of Democrats standing against the governor on the issue.

“Today’s Siena poll is surprisingly positive because New Yorkers have only heard one side of the story and haven’t yet heard the truth. When they hear the true story and the political games people are playing it will be much different,” Rich Azzopardi, Cuomo’s top senior adviser, told The Hill in a statement.

“Also it’s remarkable that only 13 percent of Democrats said the Governor should resign even though virtually all Democratic politicians‎ called for it. Clearly Democrats believe the Governor more than the politicians,” he added.

Voters were harsher on the nursing home death allegations, with 49 percent believing Cuomo did a bad job answering questions in regards to the alleged miscount of nursing home deaths.

The only area Cuomo received positive ratings was with his handling of the pandemic, including reopening the state, vaccines and keeping the public informed. 

The poll surveyed 809 New York voters from June 22 to June 29. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.