Say the name “David Paterson” and you're bound to get an opinion. He came into office by accident, really, replacing a man shrouded in a sex scandal. But, about a year later, things aren't looking up for New York's top politician.
A new poll shows Governor Paterson's popularity is sinking, with the lowest job approval and favorability ratings since he took office. The Siena College Research Institute poll released Tuesday shows Paterson viewed favorably by 40% of voters, down from 64% in November. When it comes to job performance, 28% of those polled gave him a favorable rating. Just 19% said they'd vote for him in 2010.
With Paterson's poll numbers dropping so drastically, we went to the heart of downtown Syracuse to get reaction, to see what people really think about Paterson's performance. "I was enthusiastic about him when he first came into office, but recently with the raises he gave to his own personnel and wanting everybody else to cut back, it sounds like the same old stuff again," said John O'Brien.
"I think it's only natural because he's trying to do something that aren't very popular; things that need to be done at a time when we all have to roll up our sleeves and tighten our belts and do what we need to do," said Michael Falcone.
This all comes at a time when Paterson needs support as he clashes with special interest groups over budget negotiations. It's all, of course, complicated by the dire financial crisis facing New York State right now.
The survey of 622 registered voters was conducted from February 16-18 and has a margin of error of about 4 percentage points.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this story.
