LOUDONVILLE, N.Y., Jan. 20 (UPI) -- New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has public support of his programs and high approval ratings as his 2014 re-election campaign looms, a poll indicates.
The poll, conducted by the Siena Research Institute last week and released Monday, indicated two-thirds of respondents view Cuomo, a Democrat, favorably, 54 percent gave him a positive assessment of his job performance and 57 percent said they were ready to vote for him.
Two potential Republican opponents were shown in the poll to have lesser reputations. Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino is presently largely unknown across the state and would lose to Cuomo, and real estate mogul Donald Trump is well-known but has a 57 percent unfavorable impression.
The poll said Cuomo would receive 70 percent of the vote in an election against Trump.
Cuomo has wide support for a number of initiatives proposed or enacted in his first term as governor, including increased funding for schools, universal pre-kindergarten education, increased penalties for texting while driving and numerous tax cuts, the New York Times said Monday.
The survey indicated, though, 55 percent of respondents say his plan to allow the use of medical marijuana should be accomplished by passing a law, not relying on his executive powers to enact an obscure 1980 law establishing medical marijuana centers in 20 hospitals across the state.
The poll of 808 New York state voters had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.
