A new low for Hochul and other Democrats not immune; Prop 1 opposition in Albany
And health care costs would be targeted by a new bill set to be introduced.
Good morning — it’s Thursday and Talk Like a Pirate Day.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2024
TODAY’S CAPCON:
Hochul’s polling numbers have reached new lows and Democrats are struggling to reach voters across the state.
Proposition 1, also called the Equal Rights Amendment, has strong support from voters but opponents are hoping to turn that around by November.
A new bill shared exclusively with the Times Union would cap certain health care costs that are becoming more common.
Thursday Reads.
New Bills of Note: natural lawns, textbook taxes and speeding vehicles.
Bills Passed But Pending: tuition for veterans.
🍂 Tonight’s Weather: Albany: Partly cloudy, high 50s. New York City: Mostly cloudy, high 60s. (National Weather Service)
❗ CapCon Note: On a cold morning in February, I was eating a bowl of off-brand Cheerios when I bit into something that was not a piece of cereal.
It turned out to be one of my teeth, which was among the most disgusting discoveries I’ve made while eating a meal.
I’m (finally) getting a dental implant tomorrow, so we’re going to skip CapCon for the day and get you to the weekend early. Enjoy!
— Dan
📊 Trump has higher favorability than Hochul among N.Y. voters, poll finds
📈 And about two-thirds of voters said they would vote for a ballot proposition in November to enshrine new discrimination protections into the state constitution.
It’s not a surprise that Vice President Kamala HARRIS continues to lead former President Donald TRUMP in New York, as a new Siena College poll found Tuesday.
In a head-to-head matchup, Harris was favored by 55 percent of NY voters versus 42 percent for Trump. That’s about the same margin as last month.
But what is a surprise is that voters find Trump more favorable than Gov. Kathy HOCHUL, who scored a new all-time low in favorability and job approval in the poll.
39 percent of voters found Trump favorable.
34 percent of voters found Hochul favorable. The only person whose favorability polled lower was vice presidential candidate and Sen. J.D. VANCE at 33 percent.
Her job approval also hit a record low with 39 percent of voters saying they approve of the job she’s doing as governor.
“While Hochul’s favorability rating has never been outstanding – she’s never been viewed favorably by 50 percent of voters in a state where 49 percent of the voters are Democrats – it has now hit an all-time low,” said Siena pollster Steve Greenberg.
But Hochul said Thursday she’ll try to make up ground over the next two years.
“I’m concerned about delivering for New Yorkers and I have a lot of time before my next election,” she said.
Harris and President Joseph R. BIDEN had the highest favorability among New York voters with 53 percent and 45 percent, respectively.
⬆️ But Democrats aren’t reaching upstate and suburban voters.
Politics in New York City’s suburbs can sometimes be seen as an indicator of how independent or undecided voters might lean.
That’s especially important this year because the most competitive races for Congress this year happen to be in those suburbs or close to them.
NY-3 and NY-4 on Long Island are considered competitive.
And NY-17, NY-18 and NY-19 in the Hudson Valley are as well.
And regardless of whether you think one of those districts should mostly be considered upstate, like NY-19, the results of the poll are the same.
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