A new Quinnipiac poll finds that Gov. David Paterson (D-NY) continues to be on course for a defeat in 2010, should he seek a full term.
In a Democratic primary against state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, Paterson trails by a 61%-18% margin. In a general election with Rudy Giuliani, Rudy is ahead of Paterson by 53%-32%, while at the same time Cuomo would beat Giuliani 53%-36%. The poll also finds that registered voters say Paterson shouldn’t run, by a 53%-39% margin — including a 49%-45% plurality among Democrats.
Meanwhile, appointed Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has some mixed news from this survey. In a Democratic primary, she trails Rep. Carolyn McCarthy by 33%-29%, with a large number of undecideds — though this is an improvement for Gillibrand from a 34%-24% McCarthy lead from a month and a half ago. In a general election with GOP Rep. Peter King, Gillibrand leads by 40%-28%, and McCarthy was not tested.
Gillibrand’s biggest problem is that people still don’t know her — she has only 33% approval and 13% disapproval, with a 54% majority having no opinion. And her favorable rating is 24% to 11% unfavorable, with 64% no opinion. By contrast, Paterson’s problem is that people do have an opinion: They don’t like him.
