SCHENECTADY, NY — A new EmpirePage.com/Siena Research Institute poll of 600 registered New York State voters (MoE +/- 4%) conducted between 2/28-3/4 finds that after several months of negative news focus on New York First Lady, Libby Pataki, New Yorkers are largely unaware of the coverage — and largely unconcerned even if aware of the coverage.
And if New York Governor George Pataki foregoes seeking a 4th term, the GOP primary nomination would be wide open – with Lt. Governor Mary Donohue receiving the support of 13% of registered GOP voters; U.S. Rep. John Sweeney receiving 8% of the vote; New York Secretary of State Randy Daniels received 4%; 72% didn’t know or offered no opinion; 3% said other.
Regarding Mrs. Pataki, the question was asked: “New York’s first lady Libby Pataki has been in the news a lot lately; how much have you read or heard about it? A great deal, a little, not very much, or not at all?
Only 8% of New Yorkers said they had read or heard “a great deal”; 21% said “a little”; 26% said “not very much”; 44% said “not at all”; 1% said they didn’t know or expressed no opinion. The results are largely similar along all party, gender, regional, ethnic and religious lines.
Asked of all respondents except those responding “not at all,” the question was asked, “Has reading or hearing what you’ve learned made your opinion of Libby Pataki more favorable, less favorable or had no effect?
74% said, “no effect”; 15% said “less favorable”; 4% said more favorable; 7% didn’t know, or expressed no opinion. These results, too, are largely similar along all lines.
On the 2006 GOP primary question (“If Governor George Pataki does not seek a fourth term in 2006, and the GOP gubernatorial candidates are, Lieutenant Governor Mary Donohue, U.S. Representative John Sweeney, and New York Secretary of State Randy Daniels, for whom would you vote?), the only significant result beyond the straight ballot question is that in “upstate/east”, Rep. Sweeney garners 32% of GOP support versus 21% for Donohue.