Poll: Gillibrand sliding

A new Marist poll shows Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s (D-N.Y.) numbers sliding, which is not good news for party operatives who have insisted that they would improve over time.

The poll shows Gillibrand trailing former Gov. George Pataki (R) 46-38 after leading him 45-41 in March. It also shows her lead over Rep. Pete King (R) halving from 49-28 to 42-31.

Gillibrand’s name recognition has increased from 50 percent to 57 percent, but most of those voters have decided they don’t like her. In March, 18 percent of voters gave her good marks and 32 percent rated her subpar, those numbers are now 19 and 38, respectively.

Her appointment to the Senate was met with much skepticism, thanks to her centrist record in the House, and several members of the state’s Democratic House delegation have openly weighed primary challenges against her.

Gillibrand’s backers have argued that, once she establishes herself in the Senate, those early poll numbers will be a thing of the past.

These new numbers suggest Gov. David Paterson’s (D) troubles may continue to haunt Gillibrand.

But despite her general election numbers falling, Gillibrand appears to be holding steady in the primary. While the March survey showed her defeating Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.) 36-33, the new poll shows her leading another potential primary opponent, Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), 36-31.

In the GOP primary, Pataki leads King 48-36.

-Aaron Blake