Democrat Andrew Cuomo, the soon-to-be former Governor of New York, offered his resignation this week after intense public pressure.
Cuomo will officially step down on August 24, when his Lieutenant Gov. Kathy Hochul is expected to take over and become the first female Governor of New York.
Cuomo rose to national prominence at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, with his popularity surging to an all-time high. Allegations of sexual harraseement, however, have put a dent in his approval ratings.
What is Cuomo’s approval rating now? Find out below.
Cuomo Approval Rating
In a new Morning Consult poll — which was conducted after New York Attorney General Letitia James released her report — just 38 percent of surveyed New York voters said they approve of the job Cuomo has done as governor.
This shows that Cuomo’s approval rating plunged 16 points after James publicized her findings. Likewise, his disapproval rating rose by 15 percentage points with the release of the report.
Overall, 56 percent of New York voters in the survey said they disapprove of Cuomo’s job performance.
Democrats Still Approve Of Cuomo
Though it was Democratic voters who drove the decline in Cuomo’s approval ratings, a majority of Democrats — 57 percent of them — in the poll said they still approve of Cuomo’s performance in office.
Prior to James releasing her report, 78 percent of Democrats approved of Cuomo’s job performance, which shows that his approval ratting dropped a staggering 21 points in about a week, while his disapproval rating rose 19 percentage points over the same time period.
Among Republican voters, Cuomo’s approval rating plunged 31 points after James released her report.
Polls
Morning Consult’s findings mirror other polls.
In a Quinnipiac University poll released last week, Cuomo’s approval rating hit an all-time low, with 38 percent of respondent saying they approve of the job he has done as governor.
In that survey — which was also conducted after James released her damning report — 70 percent of respondents said Cuomo has lost the ability to be an effective leader.
Additionally, 65 percent said they think Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women, while just 17 percent said they think he didn’t harass them.
Kathy Hochul
In her first remarks since Cuomo’s resignation, Hochul sought to distance herself from the soon-to-be former governor, vowing that her office would not be "toxic."
"At the end of my term, whenever it ends, no one will ever describe my administration as a toxic work environment," Hochul said, as reported by The New York Times.
"I want people to know that I’m ready for this. It’s not something that we expected or asked for, but I am fully prepared to assume the responsibility as the 57th governor of the State of New York," she added.
