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N.Y. governor's race between Kathy Hochul, Nassau County Exec Bruce Blakeman tightens, poll shows

By
Jesse Zanger
Managing Editor, CBS New York
Jesse Zanger is the managing editor of CBSNewYork.com. Jesse has previously worked for the Fox News Channel and Spectrum News NY1. He covers regional news around the Tri-State Area, with a particular focus on breaking news and extreme weather.
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Jesse Zanger

/ CBS New York

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, the Republican gubernatorial candidate, is gaining on incumbent Kathy Hochul in the race for New York governor, according to a new poll. 

Hochul still has a commanding 13-point lead over Blakeman, 47-34%, of 804 registered New York voters. But that's down from a 51-31% lead just a month before. 

"We're closing the gap at lightning speed because New Yorkers need real relief from Kathy Hochul's cost of living crisis, and they'll get it with my plan to cut income taxes, slash utility bills in half, and make New York affordable," Blakeman said in a statement. 

"Every day, Kathy Hochul is delivering for New Yorkers – lowering costs, investing billions to keep families safe, and standing up to Donald Trump – while Bruce Blakeman is offering the opposite: higher prices, Medicaid cuts, and letting Trump's ICE trample on New Yorkers' rights. That's how you become a six-time loser, and it's why Blakeman is being rejected again," Hochul spokesperson Ryan Radulovacki said.

The poll finds Hochul's favorability rating to be essentially stable, 45-42%, as compared to last month's 46-42%. Her job approval rating also hasn't substantially shifted, 52-40%, as compared to 53-41%. 

Blakeman's biggest hurdle appears to be name recognition. Some 64% of voters said they'd never heard of him or didn't know enough about him to form an opinion, according to the poll. 

"Interestingly, Hochul's standing with New Yorkers is essentially the same as last month – a small plurality views her favorably, and a small majority approves of the job she's doing as governor – as is Blakeman's, yet the race between the two has tightened a little," Siena pollster Steven Greenberg said. "Three-quarters of Democrats continue to support Hochul, and more than three-quarters of Republicans continue to support Blakeman, but now independents favor Blakeman by seven points, after siding with Hochul by five points."  

That same poll also had a few additional findings, unrelated to this year's gubernatorial matchup. The poll found New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's favorability at 44-37% statewide, with 54-30% support for Hochul and the state legislature allowing New York City to raise the personal income taxes for residents earning $1 million or more, a signature proposal of the mayor's.

The poll also found statewide support for making it easier to buy pepper spray.

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