New York Governor David Paterson's Approval Rating Dips

By JON CAMPBELL
Gannett Albany Bureau

ALBANY_ After inching higher over the past few months, Gov. David Paterson's approval rating took a hit Wednesday, according to a pair of polls.

A Marist College poll found 26 percent of registered voters rate the governor's performance as "excellent" or "good," down 5 percent since mid-January.  A Quinnipiac University poll pegged Paterson's approval rating at 34 percent, down from 38 percent in December.

The Marist poll also spelled out bad news for Paterson in a potential primary against Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who is expected to challenge Paterson for his seat.  Among Democrats, 23 percent said they would support Paterson while 70 percent preferred Cuomo.

"With Attorney General Andrew Cuomo looking over his shoulder, Gov. David Paterson continues to have serious problems with voters across party lines and throughout the state," Marist pollster Lee Miringoff said.

The Quinnipiac poll found that race would not be an issue if Cuomo and Paterson were to face off.  Eighty percent of voters, including 73 percent of black voters, do not believe a Cuomo challenge to Paterson, the state's first African-American governor, would be racially divisive.

The polls come in the midst of Paterson's controversial selection of the Aqueduct Entertainment Group to run a video-gaming casino operation at Aqueduct racetrack in Queens.  Floyd Flake, a partner of the group and an influential African-American pastor from Queens, told The New York Times on Tuesday he met with Paterson after the selection and discussed who Flake may back in the governor's race.  Previously, Flake had expressed support for Cuomo, according to the report.

On Wednesday, Senate Minority Leader Dean Skelos criticized Paterson's selection, calling for a public hearing.

"After seeing news reports about possible political considerations related to the selection of Aqueduct Entertainment Group, as well as reports that (the group) may have been the lowest-rated bidder by the Lottery Division, the public has every reason to be skeptical of the choice made by Governor Paterson, Speaker (Sheldon) Silver and Senators (Malcolm) Smith and (John) Sampson," Skelos said in a statement.

Paterson's Budget Director Robert Megna told reporters Wednesday that the investment group was found to be able to meet the financial requirements to complete the deal.

In a letter Wednesday to Paterson, Silver, D-Manhattan, said his support of the deal has contingencies, including that the group come up with a $300 million upfront licensing fee.

Paterson said he only met with Flake after the deal was completed, and they discussed matters other than the Aqueduct deal.  Susan Lerner, executive director of Common Cause/New York, said  Aqueduct decision was "a prime example, it seems, of how not to make an important decision that has fiscal consequences."

"The entire process has been very vexatious," Lerner said.
Both polls began before Paterson's decision on Aqueduct was reached.  Marist polled 838 New York voters from Jan. 25 through Jan. 27 with a 3.5 percent margin of error.  The Quinnipiac poll surveyed 2,182 voters Jan. 27 through Feb. 1 with a 2.1 percent margin of error.