Siena poll: Gov. Hochul didn't make good on many 2022 goals

ALBANY — Gov. Kathy Hochul may have won the November election, but voters say she didn’t make progress on many of her 2022 goals, according to a new poll released Tuesday.

New Yorkers said the Democrat failed to make good on promises to enhance trust in state government, make communities safer, improve the business climate or make the state a place where people want to live, not leave, according to a Siena Research Institute survey.

Siena also said those surveyed say cost-of-living and crime should be the top priorities for Hochul and state legislators in 2023. Housing was a distant third.

Hochul, 64, became New York’s first woman governor in August 2021, moving up from lieutenant governor when Andrew M. Cuomo resigned while facing a likely impeachment trial. She won a full four-year term in November by defeating Republican Lee Zeldin, 53% to 47%, in New York’s closest gubernatorial election since 1994.

In between, Hochul outlined a series of goals for 2022, her first full calendar year in office. Voters interviewed by Siena gave her low marks for achieving those aims.

“Today, when asked whether the Hochul administration did or did not make progress on those goals, voters give a resounding ‘no,’” said Steve Greenberg, spokesman for the Siena Research Institute. “A majority or strong plurality say she did not make progress on any of them. Fewer than one-third of voters said her administration made progress on any of the goals.”

For example, following Cuomo’s exit, Hochul said she wanted to restore New Yorkers’ trust in state government. But in Siena’s poll, 51% said she didn’t make progress in achieving that goal, compared with 29% who said she did.

Democrats, who outnumber Republicans by more than 2-1 in New York, gave Hochul a positive rating on that question: 46% said she made progress; 31% said no.

But Republicans, by 84% to 8%, and independent and minor-party members, by 61% to 20%, gave Hochul overwhelmingly negative ratings.

On making communities safer, 22% said she made progress, while 58% said no. On the business climate, 31% gave a thumbs up; 46%, thumbs down. On making New York a place to live, not leave, it was 28% favorable to 55% unfavorable.

In a bright note for Hochul, voters gave her positive reviews on personal characteristics, such as working hard for New Yorkers -- 47% said yes; 34% no; showing she “cares for people like you,” 45% to 37%; and demonstrating honesty and integrity, 44% to 36%.

She also received good marks on her promise to work more collaboratively with other leaders, a criticism of Cuomo’s top-down approach. About 40% of voters said she did so while 28% said she didn’t.

Overall, 45% said they have a favorable opinion of Hochul, down from 49% right before the election. Zeldin’s favorability rating improved from 37% before the election to 46% this month.

Siena surveyed 816 registered New York voters from Dec. 4-7. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.

By Yancey Roy

yancey.roy@newsday.com@yanceyroy