What to Know
- More than half of New York Democrats say they prefer a presidential nominee who is more progressive, NBC 4 New York/Marist poll reveals
- However, 78 percent of the surveyed say they would be happy with Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee, the poll says
- Nearly, 57 percent of New Yorkers support the legalization of recreational marijuana in the state, according to the poll
More than half of New York Democrats say they prefer a presidential nominee who is more progressive than moderate, with the majority of New Yorkers not backing a hometown candidate for president in 2020, an exclusive new NBC 4 New York/Marist poll reveals.
The poll also shows a majority preference for legalizing marijuana in the state, a likely hot-button topic this year.
Some 62 percent of Democrats in New York say they favor a nominee who is more progressive, while 32 percent indicated they prefer a nominee who is moderate.
Yet according to the poll, Joe Biden is actually the most acceptable candidate (78 percent) to New York Democrats, following by Bernie Sanders (61 percent) and Elizabeth Warren (51 percent).
Beyond them, 45 percent of New York Democrats would be satisfied if Kirsten Gillibrand received her party’s nod, but 40 percent would not. Some 65 percent of New York Democrats would be unhappy if Bill de Blasio were the 2020 presidential nominee, the poll reveals.
“Despite a preference for a more progressive nominee, a Biden candidacy is tops for New York Democrats,” Lee M. Miringoff, Director of The Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, said in a statment. “But, the biggest surprise is that none of the New Yorkers in the mix is benefiting from a home field advantage, especially New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.”
Local
Separately, the poll found that nearly 57 percent of New Yorkers support the legalization of recreational marijuana in the state.
This issue is a partisan one, given that 65 percent of Democrats and 58 percent of independents support legalization of recreational marijuana, and 60 percent of Republicans do not. By gender, 63 percent of men surveyed support the measure, versus 51 percent of women.
Younger residents support the measure more than older ones; 72 percent of those under 45 back the idea, versus just 44 percent support among those ages 45 and up.
The survey of 981 adults was conducted Feb. 25 through March 4 by The Marist Poll. Adults 18 years of age and older residing in New York were contacted on landline or mobile numbers. Telephone numbers were selected at random.
