January 18, 2010
1/18: Bump for Paterson’s Approval Rating
Could Governor Paterson’s approval rating be on an upswing? According to the latest Marist Poll in New York State, 31% of registered voters statewide think Paterson is doing either an excellent or good job in office. That’s a jump of 11 percentage points from when Marist last asked this question in November. At that time, just one-fifth of the electorate approved of Paterson’s job performance. And, fewer voters currently rate Paterson as doing poorly in office. 23% report this to be the case compared with 35% in November.
David Paterson (Photo courtesy of New York State)
“Governor Paterson is off the canvas, and his numbers have finally shown improvement. But, he still has a long way to go,” says Dr. Lee M. Miringoff, Director of The Marist Institute for Public Opinion.
The increase in the governor’s approval rating crosses party lines. 34% of Democrats, 25% of Republicans, and 33% of non-enrolled voters statewide think Paterson is doing an above average job. These proportions have improved from November’s poll when 23% of Democrats, 15% of Republicans, and 19% of non-enrolled voters thought the same.
Although Paterson’s job performance is consistent in heavily Democratic New York City compared with November’s poll, his rating has improved upstate and in the New York suburbs.
Table: Paterson Approval Rating
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