Half of New Yorkers say Cuomo shouldn’t immediately resign: poll

New York voters aren’t ready for Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) to resign just yet, despite calls from top state officials for him to step down in the face of multiple sexual misconduct allegations. 

A new poll from Siena College found that 50 percent of voters in New York believe Cuomo should stay in office for now, while little more than one-third — 35 percent — believe it’s time for him to leave the governor’s mansion. 

That’s not to say they don’t believe he’s guilty of any wrongdoing. Thirty-five percent of respondents said that they believe Cuomo has committed sexual harassment. Only 24 percent say that he has not. 

At the same time, his favorability has fallen to just 43 percent, a 13-point drop since February, and his overall job approval is now down to 46 percent after registering at 51 percent last month. 

But more than half of those surveyed — 57 percent — are satisfied with the way he has handled the allegations of sexual misconduct from six women, including former staffers. 

Cuomo has acknowledged that he may have made comments in the past that made some people feel uncomfortable, though he has denied allegations of inappropriate touching, including an accusation from a former aide that he had once groped her in the Executive Mansion.

The allegations have spawned demands for Cuomo’s resignation from some of the most prominent New York Democrats, including Sen. Majority Leader Charles Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.

The New York State Assembly said last week that it will open an impeachment investigation focused on the allegations against Cuomo. State Attorney General Letitia James (D) has also launched an independent investigation of the allegations.

Cuomo has so far rejected calls for his resignation, saying that he was “not elected by the politicians” but “by the people.” For now, the Siena College poll suggests that voters generally support his decision. 

Overall, New York voters give the governor positive marks for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Sixty percent say they approve of the job he has done with regard to the outbreak, while 33 percent disapprove. That’s virtually unchanged from February, when 61 percent approved and 34 percent disapproved, the poll found.

However, there’s one area where Cuomo is deep underwater: his handling of coronavirus-related deaths at the state’s nursing homes. Cuomo acknowledged last month that his administration had withheld data on COVID-19-related nursing home deaths by excluding residents who had died after being taken to hospitals. 

The Siena College poll found that only 27 percent of voters approve of Cuomo’s handling of nursing home death data. Two-thirds of respondents — 66 percent — disapprove. 

The Siena College poll surveyed 805 registered voters in New York from March 8 to 12. It has a margin of sampling error of 4.1 percentage points.