New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D) approval rating has dipped six points since it was revealed that the administration covered up the number of coronavirus-related deaths in nursing homes out of fears of a federal investigation, a Morning Consult survey released Monday found.
The survey, taken February 12-21 among 3,203 registered New York voters, showed Cuomo with 57 percent approval. While it seems positive on the surface, that reflects a six-point drop from the 63 percent approval he saw in the last survey taken prior to the New York Post bombshell, which featured the stunning admission from Melissa DeRosa, New York’s secretary to the governor.
The last survey, taken February 2-11, also showed Cuomo’s disapproval at 33 percent. That number is on the rise, now standing at 38 percent.
“By comparison, perceptions of Cuomo went unchanged in the aftermath of state Attorney General Letitia James’ Jan. 28 report that first revealed the undercounting of nursing home deaths,” Morning Consult reported, noting that Cuomo continues to be “more popular than he was before the pandemic began”:
But the past 10 days have brought the governor his worst numbers since April, when he and a number of other state chief executives saw surges in popularity as they took active roles in tackling the virus. For Cuomo, the nursing home story may be snowballing into something more as he faces public allegations of political bullying from officials in his own party.
The survey’s margin of error is +/- 2 percent.
Similarly, a Siena College Research Institute survey released last week showed Cuomo’s approval ratings falling from 56-42 percent to 51-47 percent.
The survey comes as Democrats rally with Republicans, calling for transparency and accountability from the Cuomo administration.
“I strongly believe criminal charges are needed up to and including the highest level of state government. Anyone who is complicit needs to be charged criminally,” New York state Rep. Colin Schmitt (R) told Breitbart News Sunday, floating impeachment as a viable option for legislators moving forward.
He also said he is working on a bipartisan measure to repeal Cuomo’s “extraordinary power.” The entire fallout, he added, “very well could” result in New York electing a Republican governor down the road.