STORM SURGE TAKES CUOMO APPROVAL TO ALL-TIME HIGH, QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY POLL FINDS; VOTERS WANT GOV TO SPEAK UP ON REDISTRICTING

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1 Maurice Carroll, Director, Quinnipiac University Polling Institute (203) Rubenstein Associates, Inc. Public Relations Contact: Pat Smith (212) FOR RELEASE: SEPTEMBER 20, 2011 STORM SURGE TAKES CUOMO APPROVAL TO ALL-TIME HIGH, QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY POLL FINDS; VOTERS WANT GOV TO SPEAK UP ON REDISTRICTING An 86 7 percent approval rating for his handling of Tropical Storms Irene and Lee pushes New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to a percent overall approval rating, the highest score for any governor in states surveyed by Quinnipiac University and among the highest for any New York governor, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. Voters say percent the governor should speak out more forcefully to convince the State Legislature to turn legislative redistricting over to an independent commission. Cuomo should veto a redistricting plan not created by an independent commission, voters say percent in the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll. Approval ratings for Gov. Cuomo are percent among Democrats, percent among Republicans and percent among independent voters. He gets a percent thumbs up from New York City voters, 74 7 percent from suburban voters and percent from upstate voters. Men approve percent while women approve percent. New York State voters say percent that Cuomo is successful getting his policies passed by the State Legislature. In contrast, voters say percent that President Barack Obama is not successful getting his policies through Congress. President Obama should be more like Cuomo in dealing with the legislature, voters say percent. Voters say percent that Cuomo is a better leader than Obama. New York s love affair with Gov. Andrew Cuomo persists, perhaps helped along by Irene and Lee, said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. Yes, we like him. Yes, we like his policies. Yes, we think he did a good job on the tropical storms. Yes, he s dominating the legislature. Maybe we should ask about his Queens accent. -more-

2 Quinnipiac University Poll/September 20, 2011 page 2 There s NO gender gap in Cuomo s approval. That s a polling rarity, Carroll added. Overwhelmingly, voters do want Cuomo to lead the charge on legislative redistricting. It s no contest New Yorkers think Cuomo gets what he wants from the legislature and Obama doesn t get what he wants from Congress, Carroll added. Legislative Redistricting New York State should have a commission independent of the State Legislature to draw the district lines from which state legislators and members of Congress are elected, 50 percent of voters say. Another 27 percent support an independent redistricting commission with some input from the legislature and 10 percent want the State Legislature to continue drawing district lines. Support for Cuomo speaking out on redistricting is percent among Republicans, percent among Democrats and percent among independent voters. But voters say percent that Cuomo and state legislators will not keep their promise, made during the 2010 election campaign, to create non-partisan redistricting. Voters say percent they would feel betrayed if New York State officials approved a plan created by the legislature rather than an independent commission. Feelings are similar among Democrats, Republicans and independent voters. New Yorkers don t want the State Legislature to draw the district lines that decide where they and members of Congress will get elected. Half prefer an independent commission. Some think there should be some legislative say, Carroll said. But most voters don t believe that New York s political leaders will keep their word. We chose a provocative word deliberately and almost half of the voters say they d feel betrayed if elected officials don t change the districting system. Obama, Schumer, Gillibrand New York State voters approve percent of the job President Obama is doing, up from a negative percent score August 12. U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer gets a percent score and U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has a percent approval rating. From September 13 18, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,016 registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points. Live interviewers call land lines and cell phones. The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts public opinion surveys in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Ohio, Virginia and the nation as a public service and for research. For more data or RSS feed call (203) , or follow us on Twitter. 2

3 1. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Andrew Cuomo is handling his job as Governor? Approve 66% 61% 72% 61% 65% 66% Disapprove DK/NA Approve 64% 62% 74% 67% Disapprove DK/NA TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Andrew Cuomo is handling his job as Governor? Sep 20 Aug 10 Jun 29 Jun 01 Apr 13 Feb Approve Disapprove DK/NA Do you approve or disapprove of the way Charles Schumer is handling his job as United States Senator? Approve 59% 39% 75% 54% 52% 66% Disapprove DK/NA Approve 55% 63% 60% 60% Disapprove DK/NA TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Charles Schumer is handling his job as United States Senator? (*High also 69% Oct 2001) APPROVE... Sep 20 Aug 12 Jun 29 Jun 01 Apr 13 Dec 08 Apr * 1999 Approve Disapprove DK/NA

4 3. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Kirsten Gillibrand is handling her job as United States Senator? Approve 52% 37% 65% 45% 47% 57% Disapprove DK/NA Approve 54% 54% 46% 53% Disapprove DK/NA TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Kirsten Gillibrand is handling her job as United States Senator? (*High also 54% Feb 2011) APPROVE... Sep 20 Aug 12 Jun 29 Jun 01 Apr 13 Jun 29 Feb * 2009 Approve Disapprove DK/NA Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as President? Wht Blk Approve 50% 10% 78% 38% 46% 53% 38% 89% Disapprove DK/NA Approve 41% 63% 44% 50% Disapprove DK/NA TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as President? APPROVE... Sep 20 Aug 12 Jun 29 Jun 01 Apr 13 Feb 19 Aug Approve Disapprove DK/NA

5 5. Do you approve or disapprove of the way the state legislature is handling its job? Approve 26% 21% 33% 21% 26% 26% Disapprove DK/NA Approve 22% 26% 32% 23% Disapprove DK/NA TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way the state legislature is handling its job? APPROVE... Sep 20 Aug 10 Jun 29 Jun 01 Apr 13 Apr 04 Sep Approve Disapprove DK/NA Do you approve or disapprove of the way your state assembly member is handling their job? Approve 41% 43% 48% 31% 39% 43% Disapprove DK/NA Approve 37% 46% 40% 38% Disapprove DK/NA TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way your state assembly member is handling their job? APPROVE... Sep 20 Aug 10 Jun 29 Jun 01 Apr 13 Dec 20 Feb Approve Disapprove DK/NA

6 7. Do you approve or disapprove of the way your state senator is handling their job? Approve 50% 46% 59% 46% 47% 54% Disapprove DK/NA Approve 46% 56% 50% 52% Disapprove DK/NA TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way your state senator is handling their job? (* Low also 49% Apr 2011, Feb 2011) APPROVE... Sep 20 Aug 10 Jun 29 Jun 01 Apr 13 Dec 20 Aug * Approve Disapprove DK/NA Do you approve or disapprove of the way Sheldon Silver is handling his job as State Assembly Speaker? Approve 30% 14% 42% 24% 27% 32% Disapprove DK/NA Approve 21% 39% 31% 33% Disapprove DK/NA TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Sheldon Silver is handling his job as State Assembly Speaker? (*Low also 25% Apr 2010) APPROVE... Sep 20 Aug 10 Jun 29 Sep 01 Jul 28 Dec 24 Aug * Approve Disapprove DK/NA

7 9. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Dean Skelos is handling his job as State Senate Majority Leader? Approve 23% 24% 29% 16% 25% 22% Disapprove DK/NA Approve 18% 29% 25% 21% Disapprove DK/NA TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Dean Skelos is handling his job as State Senate Majority Leader? Sep 20 Aug 10 Jun Approve Disapprove DK/NA In general, how satisfied are you with the way things are going in New York State today? Are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? Very satisfied 2% - 3% 1% 3% 1% Smwht satisfied Smwht dissatisfied Very dissatisfied DK/NA Very satisfied 2% 2% 1% 1% Smwht satisfied Smwht dissatisfied Very dissatisfied DK/NA TREND: In general, how satisfied are you with the way things are going in New York State today? Are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? VERY+SMWHT SAT Sep 20 Aug 10 Jun 29 Jun 01 Apr 13 Feb 25 Jun Very satisfied Smwht satisfied Smwht dissatisfied Very dissatisfied DK/NA

8 11. If the 2012 election for President were being held today, do you think you would vote for Barack Obama the Democratic candidate, or for the Republican candidate? Obama 52% 4% 85% 43% 49% 55% Republican DEPENDS ON CAND(VOL) DK/NA Obama 42% 66% 47% 54% Republican DEPENDS ON CAND(VOL) DK/NA TREND: If the 2012 election for President were being held today, do you think you would vote for Barack Obama the Democratic candidate, or for the Republican candidate? Sep 20 Aug 12 Jun 29 Jun Obama Republican DEPENDS ON CAND(VOL) DK/NA Do you feel that Barack Obama deserves to be reelected, or do you feel that he does not deserve to be reelected? Yes/Deserves 51% 8% 80% 44% 50% 53% No/Does not DK/NA Yes/Deserves 43% 64% 44% 53% No/Does not DK/NA TREND: Do you feel that Barack Obama deserves to be reelected, or do you feel that he does not deserve to be reelected? Sep 20 Aug 12 Jun 29 June Yes/Deserves No/Does not DK/NA

9 13. Regardless of how you feel about Andrew Cuomo's policies, would you say you like or don't like Andrew Cuomo as a person? Like 64% 57% 75% 61% 62% 66% Don't Like DK/NA Like 65% 66% 61% 63% Don't Like DK/NA TREND: Regardless of how you feel about Andrew Cuomo's policies, would you say you like or don't like Andrew Cuomo as a person? Sep 20 Aug 10 Jun 29 Jun Like Don't Like DK/NA And regardless of how you feel about Andrew Cuomo as a person, would you say you like or don't like most of Andrew Cuomo's policies? Like 64% 55% 72% 62% 64% 65% Don't Like DK/NA Like 64% 63% 66% 63% Don't Like DK/NA TREND: And regardless of how you feel about Andrew Cuomo as a person, would you say you like or don't like most of Andrew Cuomo's policies? Sep 20 Aug 10 Jun 29 Jun Like Don't Like DK/NA

10 15. Thinking about President Barack Obama and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, Who do you think is a better leader, Cuomo or Obama? Cuomo 44% 72% 25% 53% 46% 42% Obama NO DIFF(VOL) DK/NA Cuomo 55% 29% 52% 44% Obama NO DIFF(VOL) DK/NA TREND: Thinking about President Barack Obama and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who do you think is a better leader, Cuomo or Obama? Sep 20 Aug Cuomo Obama NO DIFF(VOL) 6 7 DK/NA In general, do you think Governor Cuomo has been successful in getting his policies passed by the state legislature or not? Yes 77% 77% 77% 80% 79% 75% No DK/NA Yes 76% 78% 78% 81% No DK/NA TREND: In general, do you think Governor Cuomo has been successful in getting his policies passed by the state legislature or not? Sep 20 Jun Yes No DK/NA

11 17. In general, do you think President Obama has been successful in getting his policies passed by Congress or not? Yes 30% 31% 33% 24% 30% 30% No DK/NA Yes 29% 29% 34% 28% No DK/NA When it comes to dealing with the legislative branch, do you think: President Obama should try to be more like Governor Cuomo or do you think Governor Cuomo should try to be more like President Obama? Obama like Cuomo 53% 73% 44% 57% 58% 49% Cuomo like Obama DK/NA Obama like Cuomo 55% 49% 56% 53% Cuomo like Obama DK/NA Do you approve or disapprove of the way Andrew Cuomo is handling the state budget? Approve 62% 59% 63% 64% 63% 61% Disapprove DK/NA Approve 63% 60% 62% 62% Disapprove DK/NA TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Andrew Cuomo is handling the state budget? Sep 20 Aug 10 Jun 01 Apr 13 Feb Approve Disapprove DK/NA

12 20. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Andrew Cuomo handled the response to Tropical Storms Irene and Lee? Approve 86% 82% 88% 88% 87% 85% Disapprove DK/NA Approve 82% 90% 90% 89% Disapprove DK/NA Who do you think should draw the district lines by which members of the state legislature and Congress are elected - the state legislature or a commission that has no connection to the state legislature or an independent commission with some legislative input? State legislature 10% 9% 11% 7% 11% 8% Commissn/No connect Commissn/legis input DK/NA State legislature 7% 12% 10% 10% Commissn/No connect Commissn/legis input DK/NA TREND: Who do you think should draw the district lines by which members of the state legislature and Congress are elected: The state legislature or a commission that has no connection to the state legislature or an independent commission with some legislative input? Sep 20 Aug State legislature Commissn/No connect Commissn/legis input DK/NA

13 27. Do you think Governor Cuomo should veto a redistricting plan that is not created by an independent commission or not? Yes 47% 44% 49% 49% 51% 43% No DK/NA Yes 51% 42% 49% 50% No DK/NA TREND: Do you think Governor Cuomo should veto a redistricting plan that is not created by an independent commission or not? Sep 20 Aug Yes No DK/NA During the campaign, Andrew Cuomo and many legislators promised to follow former Mayor Koch's call for non-partisan re-districting. Do you think they will do it or not? Yes 24% 18% 28% 22% 26% 23% No DK/NA Yes 21% 29% 23% 22% No DK/NA TREND: During the campaign, Andrew Cuomo and many legislators promised to follow former Mayor Koch's call for non-partisan re-districting. Do you think they will do it or not? Sep 20 Jan Yes No DK/NA

14 29. Would you feel betrayed if Governor Cuomo and the state legislature approved a redistricting plan developed by the legislature rather than an independent commission or not? Yes 48% 45% 47% 51% 49% 47% No DK/NA Yes 50% 48% 44% 49% No DK/NA Do you think Andrew Cuomo should speak out more forcefully to convince the legislature to turn redistricting over to an independent commission or not? Yes 70% 66% 69% 76% 74% 66% No DK/NA Yes 73% 68% 69% 71% No DK/NA