NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Gov. Kathy Hochul has widened her lead over potential Republican challenger Rep. Elise Stefanik, with just over a year to go until a potential matchup between them, according to a Siena College poll released Tuesday.
The poll found Hochul leads Stefanik by 25 points—52-27%—in a head-to-head for the governorship. That's up from 45-31% last month. It's also the first time Hochul has received the support of more than 50% of voters in the theoretical race.
Stefanik, a Trump ally, hasn't officially entered the race but has strongly hinted that she's looking to.
In a statement responding to the poll, Alex DeGrasse, senior advisor to Stefanik, referenced Hochul's recent endorsement of Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani in the NYC mayor's race.
"This poll is fantasy the day after Kathy Hochul endorses the Communist and the Communist refuses to endorse her," DeGrasse said. "In no reality is Elise Stefanik winning only 60% of conservative voters. It is Kathy Hochul who is hemorrhaging support in her own party, not Elise Stefanik, who has the highest R support of any R in the state."
The survey was made before Hochul’s endorsement Sunday of Mamdani. Some pollsters have said Hochul's endorsement of Mamdani, a democratic socialist, could hurt her in parts of the state, particularly the NYC suburbs.
Stefanik, who has called Hochul the "worst governor in America," criticized the endorsement, saying in a statement that the governor had embraced a "raging Communist who will destroy New York making it less affordable and more dangerous."
Hochul's former lieutenant governor, Antonio Delga, announced earlier this summer that he was challenging Hochul in the Democratic primary for governor. Bronx Rep. Ritchie Torres has also floated the idea of challenging the governor in the primary.
The new poll found Hochul's support is rising among Democrats; it's now at 75%, compared to 68% in August. Stefanik’s support, meanwhile, fell from 75% to 68% among Republicans, according to Siena.
The poll found Hochul leads in NYC by 41 points, in the downstate suburbs by 23 points and upstate by 9 points. She also leads among white voters (46-35%), Black voters (73-6%) and Latino voters (65-19%).
According to the survey, Hochul's job approval is now the highest it's been since January 2024, with a 45%-42% favorability.
The poll was conducted between Sept. 8 and 10. It surveyed 802 New York state registered voters. It has an overall margin of error of +/- 4.2 percentage points.