(Angus Reid Global Scan) – Most voters in the Empire State would back Eliot Spitzer in this year’s gubernatorial election, according to a poll by the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. 66 per cent of respondents in New York would support the Democratic attorney general, while 20 per cent would vote for Republican and former Assembly leader John Faso.
(Angus Reid Global Scan) – Most voters in the Empire State would back Eliot Spitzer in this year’s gubernatorial election, according to a poll by the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. 66 per cent of respondents in New York would support the Democratic attorney general, while 20 per cent would vote for Republican and former Assembly leader John Faso.
Republican George Pataki has acted as New York’s governor since January 1995. He was re-elected in 1998 with 54 per cent of the vote, and in 2002 with 49 per cent, defeating Democrat Carl McCall and independent candidate Tom Golisano. In July 2005, Pataki ruled out seeking a new term in office.
Two-time candidate Golisano and former Massachusetts governor William Weld—who were mentioned as possible rivals for Spitzer—announced earlier this year that they would not seek the governorship. Support for Spitzer fell by one point since May, while backing for Faso grew by four points.
On Jun. 20, Faso acknowledged that the campaign will be difficult, saying, “I get up everyday knowing I am the underdog in this race, but the fact of the matter is that I’m the only candidate offering specifics about the things that are driving the costs of the state, offering specifics about the ways to reform the state and local governance finance systems in our state.”
Nassau County executive Tom Suozzi has vowed to collect signatures from 15,000 Democratic voters in New York in order to force a primary election against Spitzer, which would take place on Sept. 12.
The gubernatorial election is scheduled for Nov. 7. Since 1943, New York has had four Republican and three Democratic heads of government.
Polling Data
If the 2006 election for Governor were being held today and the candidates were Eliot Spitzer the Democrat and John Faso the Republican, for whom would you vote?
Jun. 2006 | May 2006 | Mar. 2006 | |
Eliot Spitzer (D) | 66% | 67% | 66% |
John Faso (R) | 20% | 16% | 18% |
Someone else | 1% | 1% | 1% |
Would not vote | 2% | 2% | 2% |
Not sure | 11% | 14% | 13% |
Source: Quinnipiac University Polling Institute
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,204 registered New York voters, conducted from Jun. 12 to Jun. 19, 2006. Margin of error is 2.8 per cent.
