Biden Preferred By New York Dems, Cuomo's Popularity Drops: Poll

NEW YORK — New York Democrats prefer Joe Biden for president, according to a Siena poll released Thursday.

Barack Obama's vice president surpassed Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren this month to become the most popular Democratic candidate in New York State, the poll found.

“Biden leads with men and women and he leads upstate and downstate," said said Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg. "

Nearly a quarter of New York Democrats support while Warren claimed second place with 14 percent, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders claimed third with 13 percent

Siena pollsters noted 35 percent of New York Democrats said Biden was the party's best chance to reclaim the White House in 2020 while only 12 percent believed Warren could win and 11 percent Sanders.

The poll also shows Gov. Andrew Cuomo's favorability rating dropped to 44 percent this month from 49 percent in October, and his job performance numbers dipped from 41 percent to 35 percent.

“Cuomo’s job performance rating matches his all-time low from August," said Greenberg. "While Democrats are evenly divided on the question, more than three-quarters of Republicans and independents give Cuomo a negative job performance rating.”

Michael Bloomberg, currently considering a presidential run, is the most popular of New York City's recent mayors with a 47 percent favorability rating, the poll found.

Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat, and Rudy Giuliani, a Republican, both came in with negative views from Democrats.

“He is, by far, more popular than both his predecessor and his successor," Greenberg said. “Bloomberg is also the only one of the three to have a positive favorability rating among New York City voters."