By Dave Bullard/WRVO
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wrvo/local-wrvo-925177.mp3
WRVO – Surprising. Shocking. Amazing.
Those were the reactions to Wednesday's Quinnipiac University poll that shows Democrat Andrew Cuomo holding only a six point lead over Republican Carl Paladino.
In fact, those were the reactions of the pollster.
Quinipiac's Mickey Carroll told reporters that when he first saw the numbers, he asked the staff to check them again.
The poll shows each man carrying his party's voters easily, but showed Paladino doing better than Cuomo with independent voters.
"People might have sort of inferentially thought, 'Hey, he's the incumbent'", Carroll said. "They know he's not but he had the aura of an incumbent. And the one thing you do't want to be in a throw-the-bums-out year is an incumbent"
Carroll believes Paladino will keep on trying to get under Cuomo's skin with intentionally provocative remarks and insults and thinks Cuomo is smart enough to figure out how not to fall into a trap.
Siena College's Polling Institute issues its poll on the Governor's race tomorrow. Marist College is also preparing a poll.