Poll: Hochul holds commanding lead in primary

ALBANY – If Kathy Hochul intends to keep her job as New York’s first female governor, things are looking up for her.

An exclusive NewsChannel 13-SurveyUSA Poll released Tuesday has Hochul defeating both challlengers, Tom Suozzi and Jumaane Williams, by more than 30 points each in next week’s Democratic Primary.

"The gap right now is massive," points out Ron Seyb, a Skidmore College political science professor. "Can you really close a 30 point gap? It seems unlikely."

The poll reveals 54% of voters in the Democratic Primary intend to cast their ballot for Hochul, Thomas Suozzi finishes a distant second with 18%, while Jumaane Williams gets 11%. 17% of voters say they’re undecided.

The Republican Primary is much tighter. Long Island Congressman Lee Zeldin holds a narrow two-point lead (25% to 23%) over Andrew Giuliani. Businessman Harry Wilson (13%) and Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino (8%) trail far behind.

"Giuliani’s strength seems to be with demographic groups which are less likely to vote, younger voters for example," says Seyb, "When you look at Zeldin’s supporters, older voters, more reliable voters, I think that’s a challenge for Giuliani."

Of the 538 Republicans surveyed, 62% indicated they were "certain" or "likely" to vote in the primary.

With nearly one-third of Republican voters still undecided with one week to go, Seyb says it’s not too late to turn the GOP race around.

"I was little surprised that 31% of Republican voters are undecided," Seyb stated. "That’s a very large number at this stage in the campaign, given that people are already voting."

Regarding general election match-ups, the NewsChannel 13-SurveyUSA Poll indicates Hochul defeats all GOP challengers by 30 or more points.