Hochul holds a 17-point lead over Zeldin, 54 to 37 percent, according to a new Siena College poll.
That’s up slightly from 53 to 39 percent in August 2022.
Among their parties, Hochul garnered support from 81 percent of Democrats while 77 percent of Republicans backed Zeldin.
However, pollsters found that independents slightly favored Zeldin, 45 to 42 percent.
“Zeldin’s narrow lead among independents is both good – it’s a lead – and bad – it’s narrow,” said Siena College pollster Steven Greenburg.
“To close or even narrow a 17-point gap, he would need to win a far greater share of independents, solidify Republican support, as well as pick off some more Democrats.”
Hochul continues to dominate in New York City and leads by five points in the downstate suburbs after trailing there by three points in August 2022, the poll found.
Among women, Hochul enjoys a solid lead of 61 percent to Zeldin’s 29 percent, while the gap narrows with men 48 to 44 percent.
White voters are siding with Hochul by 10 points, Latinos by 25 points, and Black voters by 68 points, polling found.
A former lieutenant governor and the state’s first female governor, Hochul is seeking her first full term in office after assuming the role in August 2021 when Andrew Cuomo resigned amid allegations of sexual misconduct.
Zeldin represents the state’s 1st Congressional District covering eastern Long Island. He is a staunch supporter of former President Trump and was among the 147 Republicans in Congress who voted against certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Hochul and Zeldin will take part in a televised debate Tuesday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. at Pace University in Manhattan. It will air on Spectrum News NY1.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8.
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