Hochul's favorability rating declines while her lead against Blakeman increases in latest poll
It's a mixed bag for Gov. Kathy Hochul in the latest poll.
At 41-46%, her favorability rating has hit its lowest level since June, 2025, according to the most recent Siena University Poll. That's down from 45-42% in March.
Her job approval has also taken a hit, 48-44%, which is down from 52-40% in March. That's her lowest job approval rating since April, 2025.
Polling higher against Blakeman
Despite this, she's still edged up three points in her matchup against Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, her Republican challenger for governor. The poll favors her 49-33%, up from 47-34% in March.
"Is it the late state budget? Is it something the governor has said or done? Hard to say, but either way, Hochul heads into a campaign – with an election 26 weeks from today – with her lowest favorability and job approval ratings in about a year," Siena pollster Steven Greenberg said. "Both Hochul's favorability and approval ratings fell the most in the last month with independents, men and voters from New York City. While she continues to be in positive territory on both measures in New York City, she has fallen even deeper underwater with independents."
The poll finds some 64% of voters haven't heard of Blakeman, or don't have an opinion about him.
"Six months out, voters are largely in their partisan lanes. Three-quarters of Democrats are with Hochul. Three-quarters of Republicans are with Blakeman. And independents tilt toward Blakeman by two points, down from seven points in March. Hochul leads by 34 points in New York City and by a handful of points outside of the city," Greenberg said.
"At every turn, Governor Hochul works to bring down costs for New Yorkers and put money back in their pockets. At the same time, they're seeing Bruce Blakeman let Donald Trump jack up costs with expensive tariffs, hire an armed MAGA militia in Nassau County, and enable Trump's ICE sowing chaos and division in his backyard – which is why he's going to lose this race," Hochul campaign spokesperson Ryan Radulovacki said.
Blakeman meets with President Trump at the White House
Blakeman talked issues and politics with President Trump on Tuesday, hoping some of the gold dust of an oval office visit would burnish his campaign for governor.
"President Donald J. Trump welcomed me to the White House to discuss ways to overcome Kathy Hochul's high taxes, soaring utility bills, and out-of-control insurance rates. New York ranks last when it comes to affordability thanks to Hochul's failed policies," Blakeman wrote on social media.
Political experts say the White House meeting will end up being a mixed bag for Blakeman. On the one hand, the president is not popular in New York. The Siena poll gives him a 33% favorability rating, the lowest of his second term. But on the other hand, the visit could mobilize Republicans to donate money to his campaign.
"Him sitting with the president is going to be a good photo-op for the Republican base to get excited, and, interestingly, what the president has at his disposal is fundraising power," political analyst J.C. Polanco.
The meeting also gave Hochul an opportunity to slam the Blakeman-Trump friendship.
"He's going to get his marching orders. He's got to find out what Donald Trump wants him to do in the state of New York, because this would be what he would do if he was to ever be elected," Hochul said.
The governor has also had several meetings with Mr. Trump, but she says that's totally different.
"I go to have a fight. When I show up, it's to say we don't want this, we don't want this, and to try to find a way to get money turned back on," Hochul said.
New York Republicans changing view of President Trump
Greenberg went into some detail why the poll shows Mr. Trump's approval rating among New York Republicans is plummeting.
"The drop in Trump's favorability and job approval ratings is not because of Democrats; they overwhelmingly continue to view Trump unfavorably and strongly disapprove of the job he's doing. It's not the independents, with whom his negative numbers improved slightly," Greenberg said. "No, it's Republicans. His favorability rating among Republicans is down to 65-27%, from 78-18%, and his job approval rating is down to 71-27%, from 84-15%."
Some New Yorkers expressed concerns that Blakeman would opt to meet with the president.
"I think it hurts him because, you know, Trump is not ... he didn't win in New York," one person said.
"I would never vote for anybody who supports Donald Trump, like Bruce Blakeman," another said.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, meanwhile, still has a 43-40% statewide favorability rating, which is down a bit from 44-37% in March. His favorability in New York City is higher than Hochul, Attorney General Letitia James, and Sen. Chuck Schumer. The Democrats' lead on the generic congressional ballot is little changed and stands at 52-33%, from 52-35% in March.