Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York, seen at a press conference in New York City on March 3, 2025, is seeking re-election next year for a second four-year term. (REUTERS/David Dee Delgado)
Fifty-one percent of Democrats surveyed in the new poll said at this early point in the 2026 election cycle they are prepared to re-elect Hochul, with 38% of Democrats saying they want "someone else."
The percentage of voters who prefer another candidate jumps to 64% among independents and 82% among Republicans in blue state New York.
"Even more Republicans – 82% up from 68% last month – and independents – 64% up from 55% – prefer ‘someone else’ to be the next governor, while a small majority of Democrats, 51%, say they are prepared to reelect her," Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg said.
Hochul, who at the time was the state’s lieutenant governor, in August 2021 was sworn in as New York’s first female governor, after three-term Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned in disgrace amid multiple scandals.
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She defeated then-Rep. Lee Zeldin by just over six points in 2022 to win a full four-year term steering New York. Zeldin's showing was the best by a Republican gubernatorial nominee in blue-state New York since then-GOP Gov. George Pataki won re-election to a third term in 2002.
In July of last year, Hochul announced her intention to run for re-election in 2026.
The governor's approval ratings in the new poll are slightly above water, at 50% approval and 46% disapproval, while her favorable rating is just underwater, at 44% favorable and 46% unfavorable.
Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, seen on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, is seriously considering a 2026 run for governor in the Empire State. ( Photographer: Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
In the race for the GOP gubernatorial nomination, 35% of Republican voters said they would support Stefanik, the six-term GOP representative from upstate New York. Stefanik, who is part of the House Republican leadership and a strong supporter and ally of President Donald Trump, has said she is seriously considering a run for governor.
Republican Rep. Mike Lawler, who represents a swing congressional district in suburban New York City and who is also eyeing a campaign for governor, grabbed 22% support in the poll. Nassau County executive Bruce Blakeman, another major Trump ally and potential gubernatorial candidate, was at 11%.
Trump stands at 40% approval and 57% disapproval among New York State voters, according to the poll, with his favorable rating at 38%-59%.
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Greenberg noted that "81% of Democrats disapprove of the job Trump is doing as president, while 82% of Republicans approve, and independents are closely divided."
The survey had an overall sampling error of plus or minus 4.3 percentage points.
Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast."
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/majority-new-yorkers-want-someone-other-than-hochul-governor-2026-poll-shows