Poll: Cuomo Better Leader Than Obama

A Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday morning finds that New York State voters believe Gov. Andrew Cuomo is a better leader than President Barack Obama, with adjectives like "good" and "competent" topping the list of words used to describe the governor who championed marriage equality legislation.

According to a news release from the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, "Cuomo is a better leader than President Barack Obama, voters say 46 - 38 percent, and is a better leader than New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, voters say 51 - 35 percent. Democrats say the president is a better leader than Cuomo 63 - 22 percent, while Cuomo leads 72 - 12 percent among Republicans and 55 - 28 percent among independent voters."

The survey found that Cuomo continues to enjoy high approval ratings at 62% to 22%, down slightly from a Quinnipiac poll on June 29 that put his approval ratings at 64% to 19%. Voters questioned in the new poll said they like Cuomo as a person by 64% to 12%.

Although the poll did not ask specifically about the marriage equality legislation that Cuomo successfully made a priority, voters said they liked most of his policies by 61% to 26% regardless of how they felt about the governor as a person. More Republicans, Democrats, and independents than not said they approved of his policies, as did voters across the New York City, suburban, and upstate regions.

The Quinnipiac University Polling Institute reports that "'Good,' 'competent,' 'trying,' 'honest' and 'OK' top the list when 1,640 New York State voters use one word to describe" Cuomo. On the other hand, "Except for 'arrogant' at number nine on the list, 'liberal,' a word that goes either way, at 13 and 'disappointed' at 22, the 30 top words are positive. Way down the list, 6 people say 'bully' and 5 people say 'sleazy,' but the words are overwhelmingly positive throughout."

Only one person used a profanity to describe the governor, according to Quinnipiac.

The poll surveyed 1,640 registered voters in New York State from August 3 to 8 with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.4 percentage points.