Poll: 1 in 10 political insiders approve of de Blasio

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s reputation has been in tatters in recent months, with longtime conservatives critics and former progressive allies alike attacking his response to two unprecedented crises – the coronavirus pandemic and the unrest over policy brutality and institutional racism.

Another group that’s increasingly fed up with the mayor? Political insiders. 

Only 11% of subscribers and readers of City & State’s First Read email approved of the job that de Blasio is doing in mid-June, according to a new survey conducted by Honan Strategy Group. The public opinion survey ran for one week starting on June 10, with a total of 426 First Read readers responding.

The mayor’s meager support has only dwindled since March, when de Blasio had a public approval rating of 20%, according to Honan Strategy Group’s first survey of First Read readers. 

Meanwhile, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s approval rating has held steady at around 50%. 

“Interestingly, even with Cuomo’s leadership position around the state’s response to COVID-19, his approval ratings are largely unchanged,” concludes a memo from Bradley Honan, the president and CEO of Honan Strategy Group, which conducted the online survey, has previously worked with Hillary Clinton, Michael Bloomberg and state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.

Asked about the biggest issues facing New York, respondents most often expressed concern about COVID-19, as well as the state budget, which is facing a major shortfall, and income inequality. The grim atmosphere may be adversely affecting President Donald Trump’s reelection odds, with 56% of those responding predicting that he will not win a second term in November. However, a surprising two-thirds said that if Trump loses, there is a chance he will not voluntarily step aside. 

Of course, the first chance for New Yorkers to cast a ballot this year are in Tuesday’s primary elections. With the coronavirus pandemic still keeping many voters at home, and rising complaints about a lack of absentee ballots, the outcome of the elections are highly uncertain. 

Respondents were evenly divided as to whether turnout will go up or down or remain the same, although there was strong agreement that local boards of elections are ill-equipped to deal with all the absentee ballots and that many election results will not be finalized for days. 

And in perhaps the most closely watched primary race on June 23, 29% of respondents predicted that New York City Council Member Ritchie Torres would win the Democratic primary for a South Bronx House seat, with 18% expecting the far-left candidate Samelys Lopez to win and 17% guessing that the winner will be New York City Council Member Rubén Díaz Sr. 

Read the full memo below:

City & State + Honan Strategy Group June Results by City & State NY on Scribd