Pataki Leads Gillibrand for Senate in New York, Cuomo a Shoo-In for Governor

Former Republican Gov. George Pataki, who is much talked-about as a challenger to Democratic Sen Kirsten Gillibrand but has not said if he will run, is leading Gillibrand in a general election matchup by 45 percent to 40 percent with 13 percent undecided, according to a Quinnipiac University poll conducted April 6-11. The margin of error is 2.6 points.

Pataki draws a much higher level of support from fellow Republicans than Gillibrand does from Democrats -- 81 percent compared to 65 percent. Pataki attracts 22 percent of the Democratic vote while Gillibrand gets only 9 percent of Republicans. Independents favor Pataki by 49 percent to 32 percent with 16 percent undecided.

Even though Gillibrand has been in office for more than a year now, since her appointment to fill the seat vacated by Hillary Clinton, 39 percent of voters still say they haven't heard enough about her to have a favorable or unfavorable opinion. Only 14 percent say that of Pataki, who was governor from 1995 to 2006.

Gillibrand has a 47 percent to 25 percent lead over the only announced Republican candidate, Bruce Blakeman, who ran for New York City mayor in 2009 but dropped out of the race. Twenty-four percent are undecided in that matchup. If Pataki jumps in, he'd beat Blakeman in a primary by more than 4-to-1.

In the governor's race, the story remains the same: If state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is the Democratic candidate, as expected, he has a wide lead over former Republican Rep. Rick Lazio. Cuomo runs ahead of Lazio 55 percent to 26 percent with 15 percent undecided. (There's an interesting New York Times piece today on Cuomo's public relations style).

Cuomo leads Steve Levy, the Suffolk County (L.I.) executive who switched from Democrat to Republican, by 57 percent to 24 percent with 15 percent undecided. He also leads millionaire Carl Paladino, who is associated with the Tea Party movement, by 60 percent to 24 percent with 14 percent undecided.

In the contest for the GOP gubernatorial nomination, Lazio leads with 34 percent while Levy and Paladino poll 11 percent each,with 40 percent undecided.

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