Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s favorability rating plummeted to a 20-year low while Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s and Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s ratings both improved in April, according to a Siena College survey released Tuesday.
Ocasio-Cortez received a 47% favorability rating, up from 38% in January 2021, according to the New York state poll. Hochul notched a 44% favorability rating, up from 40% in March, alongside a 43% unfavorable rating.
Meanwhile, Schumer received just a 39% favorability rating, alongside a 49% unfavorable rating, according to the survey. It is the first time his favorability rating has been negative since June 2024, and the worst it has ever been in a Siena College poll dating back to February 2005.
“A first in a Siena College poll: Schumer is 10 points underwater, with a plurality of voters viewing him unfavorably,” Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg wrote in a press release. “While he continues to be viewed unfavorably by more than two-thirds of Republicans and a majority of independents, Schumer saw his standing with Democrats, particularly liberals, fall dramatically. Democrats view Schumer favorably 52-38%, down from 68-23%, and he’s still viewed favorably by a plurality of liberals, 47-41%, but that’s down from 68-21%. New York City voters are barely favorable, 47-44%.”
Additionally, 48% of New York state voters said they approve of the job Hochul is doing as governor, up from 46% in March.
“For the first time since January 2024, Hochul has a positive – barely – favorability rating, and for the first time since February 2024, a plurality of voters approves of the job she is doing as governor,” Greenberg wrote.
“Among eight elected officials and each house of the State Legislature, AOC has the best favorability rating,” Greenberg wrote further. “She is viewed favorably by 64% of Democrats – more than Hochul or Schumer – and she is viewed unfavorably by 60% of Republicans. Independents are evenly divided 39-39%. While Schumer’s fifth term runs through 2028, Ocasio-Cortez has established herself as a New York Democrat to watch.”
Schumer faced a wave of backlash from the Democratic Party after he voted to advance a GOP-backed spending bill in March. Subsequently, several prominent Democratic leaders called for his resignation over his supporting the spending bill, including Democratic Maryland Rep. Glenn Ivey and Democratic Michigan State Sen. Mallory McMorrow.
A string of recent polls have shown that many voters hold an unfavorable opinion of Schumer. Relatedly, an April poll by left-leaning data firm Data for Progress found that 55% of Democratic likely voters said they supported or leaned toward supporting Ocasio-Cortez in a hypothetical 2028 New York Senate primary, while 36% backed or leaned toward backing Schumer and 9% were undecided. The left-wing congresswoman has not yet announced whether she plans to challenge Schumer.
Schumer’s office, Ocasio-Cortez’s office and Hochul’s press office did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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