(WBEN) - New polling shows that voters across New York State still approve of Governor Andrew Cuomo's handling of the COVID pandemic, despite recent revelations about how his administration withheld data on nursing home fatalities.
The new poll released by Siena Research shows that voters approve the job Governor Andrew Cuomo is doing to address the coronavirus pandemic 61%-34%, down slightly from last month. On specific aspects of his handling of the pandemic, Cuomo gets positive grades for communicating with New Yorkers and providing accurate information. However, voters give Cuomo a negative grade, 39%-55%, on making public all data about COVID deaths of nursing home patients.
The numbers show a deep split between Democrats and Republicans on their opinions of the Governor on most issues, with Democrats mostly approving, and Republicans disapproving of his actions. The poll was conducted after the Attorney General's report on nursing homes, but before news last week that the Cuomo administration had purposefully withheld data related to nursing home deaths.
"While Democrats are positive about Cuomo's handling of the vaccine rollout and his plans to reopen New York, Republicans are overwhelming negative, and independents are negative as well," said Siena College pollster Steve Greenberg.
When it comes to the nursing home issue though, numbers are a bit closer.
"When it comes to making public the data about the deaths of nursing home patients, the issue on which voters most harshly grade Cuomo, he only gets approval from 54% of Democrats, while 81% of Republicans and 63% of independents give him negative grades. New York City voters are closely divided but downstate suburbanites and upstaters give Cuomo negative grades," Greenberg said.
