Poll: Hochul Struggles to Convince New Yorkers She's Making Progress

Several weeks after winning her first election as governor, Kathy Hochul's favorability and job approval ratings are down slightly.

The latest Siena College poll says 45 percent of New York voters view Hochul positively and 49 percent think she's doing a good job.

"A little over a year into her tenure, a month after getting elected to a full, four-year term, she's not in a particularly strong position with voters," said Steve Greenberg, Siena’s spokesman. "That said, she's not up for election for four years."

Greenberg said when Hochul took over the governorship after Andrew Cuomo's resignation 16 months ago, voters were somewhat optimistic that she would make progress on her stated goals – making communities safer, creating conditions for businesses to succeed, and enhancing trust in state government.

But now, a strong plurality, and in some cases, a majority of voters say she did not make progress in any of those areas.

"Only 22 percent of voters think she made progress. 58 percent say she hasn't made progress on that issue," said Greenberg. "This is the one issue where even a plurality of Democrats say she has not met her goals."

Greenberg said Hochul has an opportunity in her upcoming inaugural and State of the State addresses to "reset" her image with voters.

"Outside of just taking office and learning where the desk is and all of that stuff and the campaign, she now has a chance to be governor, and only governor for the next four years. So we'll see how she addresses that," Greenberg said.

According to the poll, crime and the economy continue to be two of voters' top concerns.

Originally reported by Beth Adams for WXXI