Hochul Leads Over Both Republican Challengers, 50% Of Voters Want New Governor: Poll

NEW YORK CITY — Gov. Kathy Hochul holds double-digit leads over both Republican challengers — while half of New York voters want someone else to be governor, according to a new Sienna College poll.

Despite 37 percent of New York voters saying they would vote to re-elect Hochul, the governor has a 19-point lead Over Stefanik (49-30 percent) and leads Blakeman by 25 points (50-25 percent).

“Closing out 2025 – six months from the primaries and 11 months till the general election – Hochul maintains a solid 19-point lead over Stefanik, with one in five voters being undecided, and currently has a larger 25-point lead over recent entrant Blakeman,” Siena pollster Steven Greenberg said.

“Hochul has the support of more than three-quarters of Democrats against either Republican. Stefanik leads among Republicans 82-7%, while Blakeman’s lead is 73-7%. With independents, Hochul leads Blakeman by 10 points and Stefanik by seven points.”

Seventy percent of voters don't know or don't have an opinion on Blakeman, the current Nassau County Executive, according to the poll. Only 44 percent of voters are unfamiliar with Stefanik.

In a potential head-to-head primary, Stefanik beats Blakeman 48 to 17 percent.

When it came to Democratic challengers, Hochul would beat Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado 56 to 13 percent.

According to the poll, the governor had a favorability rating of 43 percent, compared to 41 percent unfavorable. Her job approval rating is also four points better than last month, 52-39 percent, from 52-43 percent.

Other highlights of the poll include 65 percent of voters support universal free childcare for infants through pre-K, paid for by increased taxes.

When it came to New York City topics, 50 percent of voters support eliminating bus fares, paid for by increased taxes on City taxpayers earning more than $1 million, compared to 41 percent who are against it.

When it came to Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, his favorability rating went up to 46 percent, with 31 percent viewing the new mayor unfavorable.

You can read the full poll findings here.