What Do New Yorkers Think About The Governor’s Job Performance?

In November, Kathy Hochul became the first woman elected governor in New York State history. Hochul has weathered the storm, after taking office in the middle of Andrew Cumomo's tumultuous last term. The 57th governor of the Empire State delivered her State of the State address last week. So, what do Hochul's constituents think of the governor's job performance? A new Siena Poll has the answer.

Polls show that the governor's policies of linking minimum wage to the rate of inflation, promoting the building of hundreds of thousands of affordable housing units and finally addressing "cashless bail" laws are seen as widely popular issue amongst New Yorkers.

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The latest Siena poll released on Monday showed that the governor had her highest job approval rating. Hochul received positive responses from 56% of Democrats and independents. No surprise in these days of party politics, only 36% of Republicans approved of the governor's performance.

“Kicking off the 2023 legislative session with her first State of the State address, chock full of proposals that have strong voter support, Hochul sees her job approval rating hit its highest level, jumping from a positive five points last month to a 20-point positive approval rating today,” said Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg in the press release.

Several of the governor's policies received bi-partisan support. “When it comes to not raising state income taxes this year, voters overwhelmingly agree with Hochul, with no difference among Democrats, Republicans and independents. And strong majorities of voters of every partisan persuasion support three of her other proposals: guaranteeing state employees up to 12 weeks of paid family leave, basing the minimum wage on the inflation rate, and giving judges more discretion to set bail for offenders accused of serious crimes,” Greenberg added in the release. So far, it appears that New Yorkers feel Governor Kathy Hochul may be steering away from the troubled waters of her predecessors.