May 11, 2010
5/11: Gillibrand Approval Rating Stuck at 27%
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s approval rating needs a jumpstart. Only 27% of registered voters in New York State think Gillibrand is doing either an excellent or good job in office. This includes 3% who say she is excelling and 24% who believe she is doing a good job. 37% rate New York’s junior senator as fair, and 14% say she is performing poorly. More than one-fifth — 22% — are unsure.
Kirsten Gillibrand
Click Here for Complete May 11, 2010 NYS Poll Release and Tables
Gillibrand has had a difficult time punching through with the statewide electorate. When Marist last asked this question in its March 29th survey, an identical proportion — 27% — gave Gillibrand high marks. Included here were 2% who reported she was doing an excellent job in office and 25% who said she was doing a good job. 34% thought her performance was average, and 17% described her job performance as poor. 22% were unsure.
“Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s low approval rating hasn’t hurt her,” says Dr. Lee M. Miringoff, Director of The Marist College Institute for Public Opinion. “The political adage, ‘You have to beat somebody with somebody,’ still holds true, and that somebody hasn’t emerged.”
Even a majority within Gillibrand’s own party isn’t overjoyed with her performance. About one-third of Democrats — 34% — say Gillibrand is doing either an excellent or good job in office. This compares with 23% of Republicans and 21% of non-enrolled voters who share this view.
Despite Gillibrand’s less than stellar job approval rating, the senator leads her Republican challengers in the race for her U.S. Senate seat. When pitted against Bruce Blakeman, Gillibrand receives 52% of voters’ support to Blakeman’s 28%. One-fifth are unsure.
When it comes to Joseph DioGuardi, Gillibrand has a 20 percentage point lead. 50% of voters support Gillibrand while 30% are behind DioGuardi. Here, too, one-fifth are unsure.
And, if David Malpass were to win the Republican nomination and face Gillibrand in November, the sitting senator leads here as well. 52% of registered voters in New York State say they would vote for Gillibrand while 28% report they will back Malpass. 20% are unsure.
In all of these contests, little has changed since Marist last asked about these matchups in its March 29th poll.
Table: Gillibrand Approval Rating
Table: Gillbrand’s Approval Rating Over Time
Table: Gillibrand/Blakeman Matchup
Table: Gillibrand/DioGuardi Matchup
Table: Gillibrand/Malpass Matchup
Click on the graph to enlarge the image.
DioGuardi Widens Lead in GOP Primary Contest, But More Than Four in Ten Unsure
While Joseph DioGuardi leads the field of Republican candidates in the race for U.S. Senate against Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a large proportion of GOP voters — 44% — are unsure. If the Republican primary were held today, 31% say they would cast their ballot for DioGuardi. Bruce Blakeman nets 13% of GOP voters, and 12% report they would back David Malpass.
DioGuardi’s support has grown since Marist’s late March survey. At that time, 18% reported they backed DioGuardi, 10% supported Blakeman, and 9% were behind Malpass. Nearly six in ten Republican voters — 59% — were unsure. Included in that survey was Dan Senor who later announced he would not seek the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in New York. He received support from 4% of Republicans.