Republican nominee Carl Paladino has made huge gains on Democratic state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo in the New York gubernatorial race, according to a new Quinnipiac poll released this morning.
The latest survey found Paladino behind in the contest by only six points, 49%-43%. This is drastically different than the result produced by Quinnipiac’s August 29 poll, which showed a 37-point margin in a hypothetical Cuomo-Paladino matchup, with the Democrat leading 60%-23%. A September 16 Rasmussen poll, conducted after Paladino’s September 14 victory in the state’s Republican primary, saw Cuomo up comfortably with a 16-point advantage, 54%-38%.
Polling for the race is still in its early stages, but this new survey indicates the contest may not be a cakewalk for Cuomo. Paladino may be a gaffe-prone ultra-conservative whose chances of victory had seemed very unlikely since he won his party’s nomination — but this new poll suggests he’s got a shot.
The TPM Poll Average has Cuomo on top 53.9%-35.3%.