Spitzer’s Popularity Slide Worsens, Poll Shows

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The New York Sun

More than half of New Yorkers have an unfavorable opinion of Governor Spitzer, whose effort to rebound from a series of political setbacks has failed to stanch a loss of voter support, according to a poll released today.

A Siena College poll found that 51% of registered voters view the governor negatively, while only 36% have a favorable opinion. When Mr. Spitzer first took office, 75% of voters have a positive impression of him, and only 10% had a negative opinion.

The erosion of Mr. Spitzer’s popularity is particularly painful for an administration that has tried to regroup from its first-year woes, which have been the subject of two lengthy national magazine articles this month.

As part of his effort to get back on track, the governor reshuffled personnel, sought to make amends with lawmakers, and moved to keep the base subway fare at $2.

The poll results suggest that Mr. Spitzer’s political attacks on the Senate majority leader, Joseph Bruno, and his failed attempt to grant driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants have left a lasting impression on voters’ minds.

Seventy percent of voters have a fair or poor opinion of Mr. Spitzer’s job performance, up from 64% a month ago, the poll said. Only 3% think the governor is doing an “excellent” job.

Regionally, Mr. Spitzer is least popular among upstate voters, 62% of whom rate him unfavorably, the poll found.

In a sign that Mr. Spitzer could be vulnerable in a Democratic primary in 2010, the poll found that more Democrats in New York prefer “someone else” as governor in three years, compared to a third who would rather stick with the governor.


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