New York voters say the ongoing feud between Gov. Cuomo and City Mayor de Blasio is hurting the state, according to a new survey released Thursday.
The Quinnipiac University Poll found that 57 percent of voters say the two Democrats aren't working effectively. Among those who acknowledge the dispute, 61 percent say Cuomo is "winning" and 78 percent say the spat is harmful to the state.
"The squabble between Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio isn't just media hype; it's real, voters say, and it's harmful to everyone in the state," said Maurice Carroll, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll.
The hostility escalated this summer when de Blasio accused Cuomo of undermining the city's agenda in Albany and holding a "vendetta" against those he disagrees with. The spat also played out over the city's recent Legionnaires' Disease outbreak, when the two administrations held dueling press conferences, and was on full display when Cuomo hosted Vice President Joe Biden at a rally in the city on the minimum wage -- one of de Blasio's key issues -- and the mayor was nowhere to be seen.
When asked about their opinion on the two leaders, 45 percent of voters statewide and 55 percent of city voters gave Cuomo a favorable rating. Thirty-seven percent of city voters said they had a favorable view of de Blasio
In recent months the mayor faced an onslaught of negative TV ads funded by the ride-sharing service Uber and a tabloid-fueled perception that crime and vagrancy are up in the city.
De Blasio spokeswoman Amy Spitalnick dismissed the poll, saying that since the mayor took office overall crime continues to drop, jobs are up and the city has launched universal prekindergarten.
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"Polls go up and down," she said. Of Cuomo, she said, "If there are ways to work productively with this Governor, we will do so. If NYC is getting the short end of the stick from the State, we will continue to call that out."
