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Cuomo Support Softens With Under 50% in Poll Wanting Him to Stay

Cuomo Support Softens With Under 50% in Poll Wanting Him to Stay

An increasing number of New York voters say Governor Andrew Cuomo should resign amid allegations of sexual impropriety and mishandling the coronavirus crisis, a new poll has found.

The Quinnipiac University survey, released Thursday, showed 43% of New York State voters say Cuomo should step down, up from 40% in a poll conducted at the beginning of March. Still, 49% say he should remain in office, down from 55% at the beginning of the month.

Seven women have come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct. At the same time, his administration has been accused of withholding information regarding Covid-19 deaths at nursing homes. The State Assembly has initiated an impeachment inquiry that is expected into delve into those matters. Attorney General Letitia James has begun a separate investigation into the women’s accusations. James has also released a report that the administration undercounted nursing home deaths due to the coronavirus.

The poll was conducted from March 16-17 and has a margin of error of 3.3 percentage points. Since the earlier March poll, nearly all of the New York Democratic delegation to the U.S. Congress -- including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand -- have called on Cuomo to step down. The governor has strongly denied the allegations and continues to defy demands for his resignation.

Twenty-two percent of voters in the poll released Thursday said they agree with the chorus of elected officials calling for his departure; 74% say they believe officials should wait until the attorney general’s investigation is complete, as Cuomo himself has suggested.

©2021 Bloomberg L.P.