Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) leads his closest rival by 22 percentage points in a six-person field for governor, a Siena College poll released Monday found.
The poll found Cuomo leading Republican Marc Molinaro 50 percent to 28 percent. Cynthia Nixon received 10 percent as the candidate of the Working Families Party. Libertarian candidate Larry Sharpe, Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins and former Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner, running an independent bid, all poll in the single digits.
The survey comes after Cuomo defeated Nixon, an actress and public education advocate, in the gubernatorial primary. He is seeking a third term. It’s not yet clear if Nixon will remain the candidate of the WFP, which endorsed her in April along with Brooklyn Councilman Jumaane Williams for lieutenant governor.
While Cuomo holds a double-digit lead over Molinaro, the independent party candidates are drawing a combined 14 percent of the vote though they remain largely unknown to a vast majority of voters.
Cuomo remains strong with his base ahead of what could be a wave year for the party, drawing 77 percent of enrolled Democrats and half of union households. He also remains strong with black and Latino voters, drawing 77 percent and 76 percent, respectively.
Molinaro, however, has a smaller lead with Republicans, 59 percent to 21 percent.
And Cuomo remains popular with New York City and suburban voters, holding double-digit leads in both regions. The story is a different one Upstate where, in the six-person field, Cuomo is in a virtual tie with Molinaro — a 38 percent to 36 percent spread.
