Gov. Kathy Hochul holds a 10-percentage point advantage over her Republican opponent, Rep. Lee Zeldin, in a newly released Marist College poll.

But Hochul's lead narrows to 8 percentage points among voters who say they are definitely voting in the election, the poll found.

The poll comes as Hochul has consistently led Zeldin in the general election matchup in independent public surveys. Hochul is seeking a full term this year; Zeldin is trying to become the first Republican to win a statewide election in 20 years.

The poll of 1,117 registered voters was conducted from Oct. 3-6. It has a margin of error of 4 percentage points.

The Marist College poll found Hochul drawing 51% to Zeldin's 41%. Among voters who definitely expect to cast ballots, the lead narrows slightly, with the margin changing to 52% for Hochul and 44% for Zeldin.

Among independents, Zeldin has a clear lead of 49% to 35%, the poll found.

Regionally, the campaign is most competitive in the suburbs, where Zeldin and Hochul are in a virtual tie: Zeldin draws 50%; Hochul receives 47%.

The governor holds a wide lead among New York City voters, 65% to 23%. Upstate, Zeldin holds a 6-percentage point advantage over Hochul, 49% to 43%.

Hochul's favorable rating is at 46%, with 43% of voters having an unfavorable view of her. Zeldin's favorable rating stands at 36%, with 37% of voters having an unfavorable view of him. A large slice of voters, 27%, have no opinion or have not heard enough about him.

In the race for U.S. Senate, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer leads Republican Joe Pinion, 54% to 34%, the poll found.

President Joe Biden's favorable rating is at 48% among New York voters.

A plurality of voters, 28%, called inflation the top issue for them heading into the voting booth. Preserving democracy stands at 24%, with crime reaching 18%. Abortion rights was cited as a top issue by 14% of voters.