Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - With just over two weeks remaining until Election Day, the polling in the race for governor of New York has stepped up and is pointing toward a tightening race.
Early polling in the race showed incumbent Democrat Governor Kathy Hochul with commanding double-digit leads, but the polling that has been released within the past week has shown Republican challenger Lee Zeldin making progress, and in one instance, actually leading.
A poll released by Co/efficient puts Zeldin in the lead by a point over Hochul, 46 to 45 percent. Other polls, including Survey USA and Quinnipiac, give Hochul a single-digit lead over Zeldin while a recent Siena Poll has Hochul leading the race by 11 points.
"The Co/efficient thing appears to be an outlier," says Democratic political startegist Ken Kruly of Politics and Other Stuff . "The average of the Siena, Quinnipiac and USA has Hochul up by seven. If you throw in that poll from Co/efficient, it would bring the number down by 4 or 5 percent average," adds Kruly. Looking at the average of polls, as is done on sites like Real Clear Politics and FiveThirtyEight is probably the best practice, says Kruly, who appeared on the weekly WBEN Hardline program Sunday.
Real Clear Politics has designated the race a 'toss up'.
While Hochul was in her hometown Buffalo and Erie County Friday, both candidates have been largely concentrating their campaigning efforts in the New York City area, proven to be a key to winning statewide office in New York.
"The downstate advantage is just so great for her, it would take a tremendous kind of windfall for Zeldin at this point," said University of Buffalo Political Science Professor Jacob Neiheisel on WBEN's Hardline program Sunday.
While Neiheisel says Hochul appears to be leading in the race somewhat, "Democrats don't seem super excited about her," he said. It could open the door to a swing in the race, if Republican turnout is strong and Independent voters shift.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 8.
