New York’s ruling progressive Democrats have essentially ignored the voter anger that was evident in the 2022 election, but voters noticed.
A new Siena poll is the latest evidence: More than half of the state’s registered voters say New York is heading in the “wrong direction.”
What specifically?
That’s right, 49% say crime has gotten worse statewide over the past year, compared to just 17% who think it has improved and 31% who think it has remained the same.
Additionally, 83% of people say immigration is a “serious” problem, including more than three-quarters of Democrats.
Now that everyone knows it’s mostly President Biden’s fault, more people in the Empire State Nationwide More people say their state government is heading in the wrong direction (61% say it’s the right direction) than New York state itself (52% say it’s wrong, 37% say it’s right).
This also explains why President Donald Trump is trailing President Biden by just eight points (overcoming a double-digit margin) in overwhelmingly Democratic New York.
While the poll showed strong support for Governor Hawke’s efforts to suspend congestion pricing and protect teens from exploitation by social media companies, his approval rating was a record low at 38%, and nearly half (49%) of respondents disapproved of his job performance.
While the gubernatorial race is not on the ballot this fall, state legislative races are, and the Democratic supermajority that controls the Legislature didn’t fare as well: 51% of voters said lawmakers failed to pass “legislation that would improve the quality of life in New York State” during the just-ended legislative session, while only 17% said they did.
His approval by the state Senate is down 39% to 38%, and his approval by the state Assembly is down 37% to 36%.
and half Among independents, 21% disapprove of support from both chambers, while only 21% support it.
Statewide, Democrats outnumber Republicans by more than two to one, but independents are just as likely to vote Republican.
Taking advantage of incumbency and redistricting, Democratic officeholders believe New York is largely set up to protect their power, and while the far-left remains a significant minority overall, they are most worried about losing primaries to highly organized progressives.
But public discontent is clearly growing, and the poll doesn’t even ask about other areas where New York still lags behind the nation, such as taxes, cost of living or job growth.
Another major disturbance, such as a series of power outages likely caused by state mismanagement, could deal a major blow to New York’s privileged political elite in the November elections.
