Cuomo Plummets In New Marist Poll; Recuses Himself from Investigation
As I suspected, Andrew Cuomo has taken a hit in the polls. A rather sharp drop in fact.
Although everyone from Mayor Bloomberg to Rep. Anthony Weiner to Paterson himself have rejected the suggestion floated by Republicans and some supporters of the governor that Cuomo is too conflicted to investigate abusegate, 58 percent of those polled say a special prosecutor should be appointed.
(For the record, that’s something only the governor can do).
Cuomo’s approval rating has dropped from 67 percent in the last Marist poll to 54 percent. The AG’s numbers suffered a particularly big hit among non-white voters – a 22 percentage-point drop. He also lost ground in the city, dropping 17 percent.
Okay, so what can we make of this? Obviously, Cuomo handing the investigation of Paterson raises big red flags among voters. While some see the conflict of interest, the 22-point drop among non-white voters suggests to me that some of these voters are making a racial connection to Cuomo’s actions. Which, if I am right, is absurd. Everyone ought to be concerned that Cuomo was involved in an investigation of someone who was his potential political opponent. Sure Cuomo has yet to declare his candidacy, but he’s been considered a potential contender for some time now. He could enter the race today and this will still hang over his head.
True enough, this poll ought to tell Cuomo to jump in or declare that he won’t run. His position in the polls is keeping others from possibly jumping in, and he owes it to the people of New York to officially get in or stay out.
UPDATE: Cuomo sees the writing on the wall and recuses himself.
New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said Thursday that he has recused himself and appointed an independent counsel to probe whether Gov. David A. Paterson illegally took World Series tickets or had improper contact with a woman who accused an aide of domestic violence.
He appointed former state chief judge Judith Kaye to the case.
Cuomo (D), who is widely expected to run for governor, had been criticized for investigating Paterson’s role in the case in which a woman accused a trusted Paterson (D) adviser of roughing her up. Some said a Cuomo probe would be a conflict of interest.
Rick Lazio released the following statement in response to the news.
“After calling for an independent prosecutor for weeks, I am glad that Andrew Cuomo finally agreed with me and recused himself from this investigation. I have the utmost faith that Ms. Kaye will conduct an impartial and thorough investigation. But it should not have required two weeks and a drop in the polls for Andrew Cuomo to recognize what he should have instinctively known from the beginning.”
2 Responses to “Cuomo Plummets In New Marist Poll; Recuses Himself from Investigation”
Cuomo will run and unfortunately Cuomo will win…
“But it should not have required two weeks and a drop in the polls for Andrew Cuomo to recognize what he should have instinctively known from the beginning.”
Certainly this is true, though its also quite easy to be blind to our own conflicts. So it takes other voices to remind us. We should applaud his decision while still be able to politely ask why it took so long.