New Yorkers’ Outrage Over Democrats’ ‘Status Quo’ Politics
New York’s Democratic-progressive establishment largely overlooked the voter discontent seen in the 2022 elections, and the voters have taken notice.
The most recent Siena poll confirms this: Over half of the state’s registered voters believe New York is heading in the wrong direction.
What does this mean?
Well, 49% feel that crime has worsened across the state in the past year, with only 17% believing it has improved and 31% saying it has stayed the same.
A significant 83% of respondents view the migrant influx as a “serious” problem, including the majority of Democrats.
Given that the issue is largely attributed to President Biden, it’s understandable that more New Yorkers believe the entire country is on the wrong track (61% wrong track compared to 31% right track) than believe New York itself is (52% wrong track, 37% right track).
This also explains why Donald Trump has reduced his trailing gap behind President Biden to just eight points in solidly Democratic New York.
While the poll indicates support for Governor Hochul’s decisions on congestion-pricing tolls and social media protections for teens, her approval rating has dropped to 38%, with nearly half (49%) disapproving of her job performance.
Although the governor is not up for re-election this year, state legislators are, and the Democratic supermajority controlling the Legislature also received poor ratings: 51% of voters believe lawmakers did not pass laws that enhance the quality of life in New York during the last legislative session, compared to only 17% who thought they did.
Voters disapprove of the state Senate by 39% to 38% approval, and the Assembly by 37%-36% disapproval.
Half of independents disapprove of both legislative chambers, while only 21% approve.
While Democrats outnumber Republicans more than 2:1 statewide, independents are leaning towards Republican-like views.
Despite the advantages of being incumbents, gerrymandering, and other factors, Democratic officeholders believe they have the state under control to protect their power, primarily concerned about facing strong opposition from progressives in a primary, although the far left remains a minority overall.
However, public dissatisfaction is clearly growing, and this poll did not even touch on topics like taxes, cost of living, job growth, and other areas where New York is still lagging behind the nation.
If there is another significant issue, like a series of power outages this summer, for which state mismanagement has made all too likely, November may see a significant electoral shake-up for New York’s entitled political elite.
