Conservative New Yorkers trust Cuomo over Trump on reopening state: poll

Conservative New Yorkers said they trust Gov. Andrew Cuomo (N.Y.) more than President Trump to make a decision to reopen the state, according to a poll released Monday. 

The Siena College Research Institute poll found that 57 percent of New Yorkers who identify as conservative favor the governor to decide when the state reopens, while 34 percent of conservatives would rather Trump make the call. Out of Republicans, 56 percent favor Cuomo, and 36 percent favor Trump make the decision.

Overall, 78 percent of New York respondents said Cuomo should decide to reopen the state after it has been hit by the coronavirus pandemic. A total of 16 percent believed the decision should fall to Trump.

“When it comes to whom New Yorkers trust more to make decisions about reopening the state and its economy — the President or the Governor — it’s not even close,” said Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg in a press release.

Legal experts have said governors ultimately have the power to reopen their states after Trump had asserted earlier this month that he had that authority. 

A total of 87 percent of New Yorkers back Cuomo’s closures of non-essential businesses, including 81 percent of Republicans and 79 percent of conservatives. Cuomo’s order requiring people to wear face coverings in public had 92 percent approval, with 91 percent of Republicans and 88 percent of conservatives. 

The governor’s favorability reached an all-time high of 77 percent in the poll, with 21 percent of respondents disapproving. In the meantime, 31 percent of respondents found Trump favorable, and 66 percent found him unfavorable.

Cuomo has seized the spotlight with frequent media briefings in New York, which has become one of the epicenters of the coronavirus spread in the U.S.

In New York state, at least 291,996 people have tested positive for the virus, leading to at least 17,303 fatalities, according to the state’s health department.