5/11: Schumer Approval Rating at 50%

Half of the New York State electorate approves of the job Senator Chuck Schumer is doing.  This includes 14% who believe he is doing an excellent job and 36% who say he is doing a good job.  31% rate Schumer’s performance as fair, and 16% think he is doing poorly in his role.  3% are unsure.

Sen. Chuck Schumer

Sen. Chuck Schumer

Click Here for Complete May 11, 2010 NYS Poll Release and Tables

When Marist last asked about Schumer’s job performance in its March 29th survey, he received similar ratings.  51% thought he was doing either an excellent or good job in office.  28% reported he was doing fairly well, and 17% believed he was doing poorly.  4% were unsure.

Table: Schumer Approval Rating
Table: Schumer Approval Rating Over Time

Click on the graph to enlarge the image.

Click on the graph to enlarge the image.

Schumer Leads Townsend

In case you haven’t noticed, New York’s senior senator will face voters this fall, and despite his approval rating of just 50%, Schumer is far ahead of his competition.  Political consultant Jay Townsend recently announced he will oppose Schumer in November’s race.

If the election were held today, Schumer would receive 66% of New York’s registered voters while Townsend would garner the support of 27%.  7% of voters are unsure.

Overwhelmingly, Democrats are pulling for Schumer with 87% saying they will support him and just 6% reporting they are behind his Republican challenger.  And, while Townsend receives the backing of a majority — 53% — of Republicans, 41% of the state’s GOP are in Schumer’s corner.  Looking at non-enrolled voters statewide, nearly six in ten — 59% — want Schumer to remain in office while 34% want Townsend to replace him.

Table: 2010 Schumer/Townsend Matchup

Marist Poll Methodology