A new poll finds Gov. Andrew Cuomo is paying a political price with Republicans in New York for enacting some of the nation's strictest gun control laws, which were also the first after the Newtown, Conn. school shooting.
The Quinnipiac University poll finds that, for the first time, more Republicans in New York disapprove of Cuomo than view him favorably, at 49 to 38 percent.
Pollster Mickey Carroll says the governor’s numbers started dropping right after Cuomo convinced the legislature to pass tough new gun control laws, known as the New York SAFE Act, in mid-January.
“The gun control vote turned things around for Cuomo,” Carroll said. “And they are still turned around.”
Cuomo’s approval rating is still higher than most politicians, at 55 percent, but it’s down nearly 20 points from last December, when Cuomo reached his highest approval rating ever, at 74 percent.
And by a two-to-one margin, 64-31 percent, New Yorkers approve of the new gun laws. But mst of the support comes from the New York City region, with more upstate voters against the gun control provisions.
