Obama Job Approval Rating: Few New York Latinos Rate President 'Excellent,' Majority Believe State Is in Recession
The latest Marist College Institute for Public Opinion poll revealed 25 percent of New York's Latinos said President Obama has done a "good" job. Seventeen percent of Latinos in New York State said Obama has done an "excellent" job as president. The largest plurality, 32 percent, said his performance has been "fair." Meanwhile, 22 percent of Latinos said he's done a "poor" job.
Overall, millennials ages 18-29 of all races and ethnicities had a similar pattern. Most millennials, 33 percent, said Obama has done a fair job as U.S. president. Obama received a good response from 31 percent of millennials, while 20 percent stated he's done poorly.
Forty-one percent of whites said Obama has done poorly in office, and 7 percent said his performance has been "excellent." On the other hand, 25 percent of African-Americans chose excellent, while 3 percent went for "poor." The "excellent" option was not the highest rating among African-Americans, as "good" received 43 percent.
The majority of Latinos, 62 percent, believed New York is in an economic recession. Whites and African-Americans also believed the state is in recession with 55 percent and 58 percent, respectively. Millennials also shared the same sentiment with 53 percent, while 43 percent disagreed.
According to Marist, "50 [percent] of voters think the worst of the state's economic problems are over. Forty-four [percent], though, say the worst is still to come. New York voters are slightly more pessimistic about the state of the economy."
New York has a gubernatorial election set for November between incumbent Democrat Andrew Cuomo and Republican candidate Rob Astorino. Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins was also an option for the poll. Among the state's likely voters, 54 percent favored Cuomo to Astorino's 29 percent, while Hawkins received 9 percent. Eight percent of likely voters surveyed were undecided.
"The race for governor is all about Cuomo," said Marist College Institute for Public Opinion Director Dr. Lee M. Miringoff. "Cuomo's supporters are voting for him, and Astorino's backers are voting against the governor. The bottom line is Cuomo has a strong lead, and Astorino is still struggling to get traction."
Among non-white likely voters, 64 percent would vote for Cuomo, while support for Astorino dropped to 15 percent. Hawkins received 13 percent. Whites also favored Cuomo with 50 percent, but Astorino had better figures with 35 percent. Hawkins received the support of 7 percent of whites.
Cuomo also has a better favorable rating from both whites and non-whites with 50 percent and 69 percent, respectively. In regards to Astorino, his favorability rating is 36 percent from whites and 26 percent from non-whites.