Gov. Kathy Hochul shrugged off Thursday a new Siena College poll that shows New Yorkers are more unhappy with her job performance than ever — prompting questions about how voters' apathy toward the governor will impact Democrats' performance in the state in November.
The governor's favorability rating dipped to an all-time low in the latest poll to 34% and a job approval rating of 39% — down seven points since last month.
"The only number I'm focused on right now are the numbers to make sure that we can ensure that [U.S. Rep.] Hakeem Jeffries is the next speaker of the House of Representatives," Hochul told reporters Thursday when asked about the results.
The governor seemed unfazed by the latest poll that shows her 34% favorability rating declined from 39% in August. Hochul's popularity in the state ranked even lower than former President Donald Trump, who has a favorability rating of 39%, according to the poll.
The dip comes after Linda Sun, a former administration aide to Hochul and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, was arrested and charged earlier this month with being a spy for the Chinese government.
"The voters have a problem with Kathy Hochul," Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg said. "They don't like her. They don't think she's doing a good job right now."
Greenberg said independent voters in the state are leaning Republican — a growing trend in the traditionally deep-blue state after Hochul won her 2022 election by 6 points.
Hochul's favorability with New York voters has never hit 50%, and is even slipping with Democrats at 52%, he said.
"Of the two of the last three governors, when they hit their all-time low, they were out of office," Greenberg added.
But Hochul said she's not concerned, and remains focused on electing Democrats in a handful of hotly contested congressional seats that could flip House control.
"I'm looking at the number seven: Seven seats we need to flip, two seats we need to hold," she said.
New York voters prefer Vice President Kamala Harris over Trump 55% to 42%, compared to 53% and 39% last month.
Democrats are in the lead, but only by 13 points in a state where voters outnumber registered Republicans two to one.
And Republicans have a slight edge over Dems in House races in the downstate suburbs of Westchester, on Long Island and in the Hudson Valley.
"It's not just Governor Hochul — there is something going on in this state," Greenberg said of the state's political leanings.
Shawn Donahue, a political science professor at the University at Buffalo, said Hochul's low performance will likely impact Democrats' success in the state on Nov. 5, even though she's not on the ballot. And it's not just about her unfavorability rating, as voters unhappy with the economy and the state's public safety policies are turning to blame the party in power.
"Are we seeing, still, the effect of 2022 where you had Democratic voters just voting at much lower numbers than Republican voters in the state of New York?" Donahue said Thursday. "...It's also showing that independents in New York in this poll are going heavily for Trump over Kamala Harris."
In the end, it all comes down to turnout. But Hochul reiterated the numbers will not distract her from securing victories for her fellow Democrats, and her own when she runs for re-election in 2026.
"I'm concerned about delivering for New Yorkers and I have a lot of time before my next election," the governor said.
Every poll represents a snapshot of a specific moment in the current political landscape. Siena College conducted its latest poll between Sept. 11 and 16 with just over 1,000 likely New York voters responding. It has a margin of error of 4.3%.