Hochul is ‘extremely unpopular with all voters in key districts’ [with] ‘exceptionally high negatives among Independent voters’ – McLaughlin memo to Lawler campaign.
By Carl Campanile | The New York Post
New Yorkers in critical battleground congressional districts don’t like Gov. Kathy Hochul — which could make her a political liability for Democrats in the upcoming races that could determine control of the House of Representatives, a set of revealing new polls has found.
The surveys, conducted by McLaughlin & Associates for GOP candidates, found that more than half of potential voters in three key Empire State districts — covering the Long Island, Hudson Valley and Syracuse regions — have an unfavorable view of the governor.
“Hochul is extremely unpopular with all voters in key battleground congressional districts — and she has exceptionally high negatives among the all-important Independent voters,” pollster Jim McLaughlin said in a campaign memo to Hudson Valley Republican Rep. Mike Lawler’s campaign.
In the lower Hudson Valley’s District 17, where Lawler will face off against former Democrat Rep. Mondaire Jones, 56% of voters don’t hold Hochul in high regard.
Meanwhile, less than two-thirds of voters in the district (35%) have a favorable view of the governor.
Similarly, 57% of voters in Long Island’s District 4, which covers central and southern Nassau County, don’t have a favorable view of Hochul and the job she is doing running the Empire State — compared to 35% who said they approve of the governor.
The race for New York’s second-wealthiest congressional district will pit first-term GOP incumbent Anthony D’Esposito against Democratic challenger Laura Gillen, the former Hempstead town supervisor.
Finally, 56% of voters in the Syracuse region’s District 22 admitted to not liking the Democratic leader, while just 39% said they viewed Hochul positively.
In that race, first-term GOP incumbent Brendan Williams will face off against Democrat John Mannion, a state senator.
Unsettlingly, Hochul’s image was even worse with independent voters — or those not affiliated with a political party.
About 70% of independent voters rated her unfavorably in Long Island’s District 4 and about 60% of independents viewed her negatively in the lower Hudson Valley and Syracuse region.
The surveys were conducted on Aug. 5, 12 and 21 and queried 400 likely voters from each district.
The polls have a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.
The discouraging results have Dem strategists saying their party’s candidates would be foolish to invite her to stump with them during the final stretch before the Nov. 5 elections.
“It’s not likely the Democrats will invite Hochul to the district but the Republicans might,” said Democratic political consultant Hank Sheinkopf, who has worked on campaigns for congressional candidates, as well as former President Bill Clinton.
“If I were advising a Democratic candidate I’d say, ‘Don’t see us for a while. Come to the victory party,’” he quipped.
Lawler and other Republicans also rubbed Hochul’s nose in it — especially after the governor boasted she and her team are overseeing the Democratic Party’s get-out-the-vote effort in House districts to defeat them.
“It’s no surprise that Governor Hochul has one of the worst approval ratings in America, and it’s all thanks to her total inability to lead the state of New York,” Lawler said.
“From a state budget that’s ballooning out of control to migrants and criminals roaming the streets of New York City, Kathy Hochul has completely and utterly failed the people of New York time and again — and in 2026, she’ll lose her job for it,” added Lawyer, who is considered a potential GOP gubernatorial challenger. ##