Hochul Maintains Strong Lead Over Zeldin in Polls

By Matis Glenn

NEW YORK — Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul maintains a commanding lead over her challenger in November’s general election, Rep. Lee Zeldin, according to a SurveyUSA/WNYT-TV poll released Tuesday.

The poll shows Hochul with support of 55 percent of eligible voters, compared with Zeldin’s 31 percent.

The poll shows similar results to one conducted by the same organization in June — before the primaries were held — which also showed Hochul with a 24-point lead over Zeldin.

Zeldin and Hochul are tied among voters — 33 percent of those surveyed — who consider inflation to be the most important issue in deciding who should be governor. Health-care and criminal-justice reform were the second most popular issues, at 12 percent each. Jobs and women’s choice were most important to 10 percent, and guns was 9 percent.

The SurveyUSA poll shows Hochul ahead of Zeldin in both New York City (41 points), its suburbs (17 points), and Upstate New York (8 points). Polls in July from Emerson and Sienna College showed a much lower, but still substantial, lead for Hochul statewide; 14 and 16 points respectively. Both of those polls showed Zeldin with single-digit leads in the suburbs and Upstate.

“This is the same incredibly flawed, 100% online pollster that had Congressman Zeldin only winning the GOP primary in June by 2 points,” a spokesperson for the Zeldin campaign told Hamodia. “They were 19 points off! This poll is fake news.”

The Hochul campaign declined Hamodia’s request to comment on the poll.

mglenn@hamodia.com