October 4, 2005 - Spitzer Thumps Any GOP Candidate For New York Gov, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Sen. Clinton Beats Pirro Or Cox 2 - 1 State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer buries any of four possible Republican contenders for New York State Governor by margins of 2 - 1 to 4 - 1, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. In possible matchups between Spitzer and possible Republican opponents, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll of registered voters finds: Spitzer over Randy Daniels 60 - 15 percent; Spitzer over Thomas Golisano 56 - 22 percent; Spitzer over William Weld 60 - 16 percent; Spitzer over John Faso 60 - 14 percent. Among registered Republicans, Golisano leads with 33 percent, followed by 8 percent for Faso, 7 percent for Daniels and 6 percent for Weld. In her reelection campaign, Sen. Hillary Clinton leads Edward Cox 62 - 30 percent and Westchester District Attorney Jeanine Pirro 61 - 30 percent. "It's still the Democrats - Attorney General Spitzer and Sen. Clinton - way ahead as the election year approaches," said Maurice Carroll, Director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "Golisano earned name recognition by running against the Republican Party, but name recognition counts. He leads the Republican quartet for Governor with the best showing against Spitzer, but he still loses more than 2 - 1." "There's a generic Republican vote of about 30 percent and that's all that Jeanine Pirro and Edward Cox get at this stage," Carroll added. Among registered Republicans, Pirro leads Cox 40 - 25 percent. Sen. Clinton deserves to be reelected, 64 percent of New York State voters, including 32 percent of Republican voters, say. Because she is married to former President Bill Clinton, 9 percent of New Yorkers are more likely to vote for her, while 11 percent are less likely and 79 percent say it doesn't affect their vote. Because Jeanine Pirro is married to Albert Pirro, 3 percent are more likely to vote for her, with 13 percent less likely and 80 percent who say it makes no difference. "The news media sometimes depict this as a race between Bill Clinton's wife and Al Pirro's wife. The voters tell Quinnipiac University that's not how they see it," Carroll said. Clinton will run for President in 2008, 57 percent of voters say, and 51 percent say they "definitely" or "probably" will vote for her. But voters say 59 - 30 percent that if she runs for reelection to the Senate in 2006, Clinton should promise to serve the six-year term. New York State voters approve 46 - 40 percent of the job Gov. George Pataki is doing, compared to a 49 - 38 percent approval Aug. 3. If Gov. Pataki runs for President in 2008, 27 percent of New Yorkers, including 42 percent of Republicans, say they "definitely" or "probably" will vote for him. "Pataki's job approval dips again and New Yorkers don't like him for President," Carroll said. From September 26 - October 2, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,219 New York State registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.8 percentage points. The survey includes 389 Republicans with a margin of error of +/- 5 percent. The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts public opinion surveys in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Florida and nationwide as a public service and for research. For additional data -- www.quinnipiac.edu or call (203) 582-5201 1. Do you approve or disapprove of the way George Pataki is handling his job as Governor? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Approve 46% 60% 36% 46% 50% 42% Disapprove 40 28 48 41 40 41 DK/NA 14 11 15 13 10 17 UpState..... UpState Urban Othr Total NYC Sub Approve 39% 37% 38% 48% 57% Disapprove 47 47 47 38 31 DK/NA 14 16 15 13 12 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way George Pataki is handling his job as Governor? Highest Lowest Approve Approve Oct 4 Aug 3 May 4 Feb 10 Dec 8 Oct 2 Feb 10 2005 2005 2005 2005 2004 2001 2005 Approve 46 49 36 34 44 81 34 Disapprove 40 38 47 49 41 12 49 DK/NA 14 13 17 17 15 7 17 2. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Hillary Rodham Clinton is handling her job as United States Senator? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Approve 63% 33% 85% 60% 56% 69% Disapprove 31 61 10 34 37 25 DK/NA 6 6 5 7 7 6 UpState..... UpState Urban Othr Total NYC Sub Approve 63% 55% 57% 73% 57% Disapprove 30 37 35 21 39 DK/NA 7 8 8 6 4 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Hillary Rodham Clinton is handling her job as United States Senator? Highest Lowest Approve Approve Oct 4 Aug 3 May 5 Feb 9 Dec 8 Feb 9 Feb 14 2005 2005 2005 2005 2004 2005 2001 Approve 63 63 63 65 63 65 38 Disapprove 31 29 28 27 26 27 30 DK/NA 6 8 10 8 11 8 33 3. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Charles Schumer is handling his job as United States Senator? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Approve 63% 49% 76% 57% 63% 62% Disapprove 23 41 11 27 25 22 DK/NA 14 11 14 16 11 16 UpState..... UpState Urban Othr Total NYC Sub Approve 62% 57% 58% 73% 55% Disapprove 19 25 24 16 36 DK/NA 20 18 18 11 10 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Charles Schumer is handling his job as United States Senator? (* = Also hit 69% on 10/02/01) Highest Lowest Approve Approve Oct 4 Aug 3 May 5 Feb 9 Dec 8 Dec 8 Apr 15 2005 2005 2005 2005 2004 2004 * 1999 Approve 63 63 61 66 69 69 51 Disapprove 23 21 19 19 16 16 22 DK/NA 14 16 20 15 15 15 28 5. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Eliot Spitzer is handling his job as State Attorney General? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Approve 60% 59% 62% 57% 64% 56% Disapprove 17 15 16 19 18 16 DK/NA 23 26 22 24 18 28 UpState..... UpState Urban Othr Total NYC Sub Approve 65% 58% 60% 61% 57% Disapprove 15 15 15 17 20 DK/NA 20 27 25 22 23 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Eliot Spitzer is handling his job as State Attorney General? Highest Lowest Approve Approve Oct 4 Aug 3 May 4 Feb 10 Dec 8 Jun 16 Apr 6 2005 2005 2005 2005 2004 2004 2000 Approve 60 60 57 61 61 64 51 Disapprove 17 15 17 13 15 14 14 DK/NA 23 24 26 26 24 23 35 6. If the 2006 election for governor were being held today, and the candidates were Eliot Spitzer the Democrat and Randy Daniels the Republican, for whom would you vote? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Spitzer 60% 34% 83% 52% 58% 63% Daniels 15 37 3 12 15 14 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 2 2 1 3 2 1 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 1 1 2 1 2 1 DK/NA 22 25 12 32 23 21 UpState..... UpState Urban Othr Total NYC Sub Spitzer 62% 53% 56% 69% 55% Daniels 13 18 16 10 19 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1 1 1 1 2 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) - 1 1 2 1 DK/NA 23 26 26 17 23 7. If the 2006 election for governor were being held today, and the candidates were Eliot Spitzer the Democrat and John Faso the Republican, for whom would you vote? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Spitzer 60% 33% 85% 52% 59% 62% Faso 14 37 2 12 13 15 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1 1 - 3 2 1 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 1 1 1 2 2 1 DK/NA 23 27 12 31 24 21 UpState..... UpState Urban Othr Total NYC Sub Spitzer 59% 54% 55% 69% 56% Faso 15 17 16 10 18 SMONE ELSE(VOL) - 2 1 1 2 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 2 1 2 2 0 DK/NA 23 26 25 18 24 8. If the 2006 election for governor were being held today, and the candidates were Eliot Spitzer the Democrat and Thomas Golisano the Republican, for whom would you vote? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Spitzer 56% 30% 81% 43% 53% 59% Golisano 22 49 6 23 24 21 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1 1 - 3 2 - WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 1 1 2 1 1 1 DK/NA 19 19 11 29 20 18 UpState..... UpState Urban Othr Total NYC Sub Spitzer 53% 48% 49% 66% 54% Golisano 30 29 29 14 23 SMONE ELSE(VOL) - 1 1 1 2 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 3 1 1 2 - DK/NA 15 21 20 17 21 TREND: If the 2006 election for governor were being held today, and the candidates were Eliot Spitzer the Democrat and Thomas Golisano the Republican, for whom would you vote? Oct 4 Aug 3 2005 2005 Spitzer 56 58 Golisano 22 22 SMONE ELSE 1 1 WLDN'T VOTE 1 1 DK/NA 19 18 9. If the 2006 election for governor were being held today, and the candidates were Eliot Spitzer the Democrat and William Weld the Republican, for whom would you vote? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Spitzer 60% 34% 85% 50% 58% 62% Weld 16 36 2 19 18 15 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 2 2 1 2 2 1 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 1 2 1 - 1 1 DK/NA 21 26 11 28 21 21 UpState..... UpState Urban Othr Total NYC Sub Spitzer 59% 56% 57% 70% 53% Weld 12 18 16 11 24 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 4 1 2 2 1 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 1 2 1 2 - DK/NA 24 24 24 16 22 TREND: If the 2006 election for governor were being held today, and the candidates were Eliot Spitzer the Democrat and William Weld the Republican, for whom would you vote? Oct 4 Aug 3 May 4 2005 2005 2005 Spitzer 60 60 60 Weld 16 16 16 SMONE ELSE 2 1 1 WLDN'T VOTE 1 1 1 DK/NA 21 21 22 10. If the 2006 election for United States Senator were being held today, and the candidates were Hillary Rodham Clinton the Democrat and Jeanine Pirro the Republican, for whom would you vote? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Clinton 61% 26% 89% 55% 53% 69% Pirro 30 65 7 32 36 25 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1 1 - 2 1 - WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 1 2 - 2 2 - DK/NA 7 6 4 9 8 5 UpState..... UpState Urban Othr Total NYC Sub Clinton 60% 55% 56% 73% 50% Pirro 35 34 34 19 42 SMONE ELSE(VOL) - 1 1 1 1 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 2 2 2 1 1 DK/NA 3 8 7 6 6 TREND: If the 2006 election for United States Senator were being held today, and the candidates were Hillary Rodham Clinton the Democrat and Jeanine Pirro the Republican, for whom would you vote? Oct 4 Aug 3 May 5 2005 2005 2005 Clinton 61 63 62 Pirro 30 29 27 SMONE ELSE 1 1 - WLDN'T VOTE 1 1 1 DK/NA 7 6 11 11. If the 2006 election for United States Senator were being held today, and the candidates were Hillary Rodham Clinton the Democrat and Edward Cox the Republican, for whom would you vote? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Clinton 62% 25% 90% 56% 55% 68% Cox 30 68 5 33 37 24 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1 1 - 1 1 - WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 1 - - 2 1 - DK/NA 6 6 4 7 6 6 UpState..... UpState Urban Othr Total NYC Sub Clinton 66% 55% 58% 73% 52% Cox 30 35 34 21 40 SMONE ELSE(VOL) - 1 1 - 2 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 1 2 2 - - DK/NA 3 8 7 6 6 TREND: If the 2006 election for United States Senator were being held today, and the candidates were Hillary Rodham Clinton the Democrat and Edward Cox the Republican, for whom would you vote? Oct 4 Aug 3 May 5 2005 2005 2005 Clinton 62 64 63 Cox 30 26 25 SMONE ELSE 1 1 - WLDN'T VOTE 1 1 1 DK/NA 6 8 11 12. Looking ahead to the 2006 election for United States Senator, do you feel that Hillary Rodham Clinton deserves to be reelected, or do you feel that she does not deserve to be reelected? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Yes 64% 32% 88% 59% 56% 72% No/Does not 31 63 8 35 39 23 DK/NA 5 5 4 6 5 5 UpState..... UpState Urban Othr Total NYC Sub Yes 60% 59% 59% 75% 57% No/Does not 30 37 35 21 40 DK/NA 9 5 6 5 3 TREND: Looking ahead to the 2006 election for United States Senator, do you feel that Hillary Rodham Clinton deserves to be reelected, or do you feel that she does not deserve to be reelected? Oct 4 Aug 3 May 5 2005 2005 2005 Yes/Does 64 66 67 No/Does not 31 28 27 DK/NA 5 6 6 13. Does the fact that Bill Clinton is Hillary Rodham Clinton's husband make you more likely to vote for Hillary Rodham Clinton for Senator, less likely to vote for her for Senator, or doesn't it make a difference? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom More likely 9% 5% 14% 7% 9% 10% Less likely 11 25 1 10 12 10 No difference 79 68 83 82 78 79 DK/NA 1 2 1 - 1 2 UpState..... UpState Urban Othr Total NYC Sub More likely 3% 7% 6% 15% 7% Less likely 10 14 13 6 14 No difference 86 78 80 77 78 DK/NA 1 1 1 2 1 14. Does the fact that Albert Pirro is Jeanine Pirro's husband make you more likely to vote for Jeanine Pirro for Senator, less likely to vote for her for Senator, or doesn't it make a difference? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom More likely 3% 3% 3% 3% 1% 4% Less likely 13 6 17 15 13 13 No difference 80 85 78 78 81 79 DK/NA 4 6 3 4 5 4 UpState..... UpState Urban Othr Total NYC Sub More likely 0% 2% 1% 5% 2% Less likely 8 7 7 18 15 No difference 89 85 86 73 80 DK/NA 3 6 5 4 3 15. If Hillary Rodham Clinton were to run for President in 2008, how likely is it that you would vote for her? Do you think you would definitely vote for her, probably vote for her, probably not vote for her, or definitely not vote for her? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Definitely 23% 6% 39% 14% 16% 29% Probably 28 13 38 28 22 33 Probably not 12 13 10 16 15 10 Definitely not 30 64 5 34 38 22 DK/NA 8 5 8 8 10 6 UpState..... UpState Urban Othr Total NYC Sub Definitely 19% 17% 17% 33% 17% Probably 29 29 29 27 27 Probably not 15 11 12 11 14 Definitely not 26 36 33 21 37 DK/NA 11 7 8 9 5 TREND: If Hillary Rodham Clinton were to run for President in 2008, how likely is it that you would vote for her? Do you think you would definitely vote for her, probably vote for her, probably not vote for her, or definitely not vote for her? Oct 4 Aug 3 2005 2005 Definitely 23 24 Probably 28 27 Probably not 12 13 Definitely not 30 28 DK/NA 8 8 16. Regardless of how you would vote, do you think Hillary Rodham Clinton will or will not run for President in 2008? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Will 57% 63% 52% 61% 54% 60% Will not 29 25 32 25 34 24 DK/NA 14 12 16 13 12 17 UpState..... UpState Urban Othr Total NYC Sub Will 57% 58% 57% 56% 58% Will not 29 28 29 29 28 DK/NA 14 14 14 15 14 TREND: Regardless of how you would vote, do you think Hillary Rodham Clinton will or will not run for President in 2008? Oct 4 Aug 3 2005 2005 Will 57 56 Will Not 29 32 DK/NA 14 12 17. If Hillary Rodham Clinton runs for reelection to the Senate in 2006, do you think she should pledge to serve the full 6 year term or not? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Yes 59% 58% 57% 63% 58% 59% No 30 29 32 27 29 30 DK/NA 12 12 11 10 12 11 UpState..... UpState Urban Othr Total NYC Sub Yes 67% 56% 59% 63% 50% No 22 32 29 25 39 DK/NA 12 12 12 11 11 TREND: If Hillary Rodham Clinton runs for reelection to the Senate in 2006, do you think she should pledge to serve the full 6 year term or not? Oct 4 Aug 3 May 5 2005 2005 2005 Yes 59 60 60 No 30 30 30 DK/NA 12 10 11 18. Do you think of Hillary Rodham Clinton more as a liberal, moderate or conservative? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Liberal 42% 56% 34% 42% 45% 40% Moderate 34 22 42 35 31 36 Conservative 13 10 16 11 13 13 DK/NA 11 12 8 11 11 11 UpState..... UpState Urban Othr Total NYC Sub Liberal 37% 42% 41% 41% 48% Moderate 36 32 33 35 34 Conservative 14 11 12 16 10 DK/NA 13 15 14 8 9 TREND: Do you think of Hillary Rodham Clinton more as a liberal, moderate, or conservative? Oct 4 Aug 3 May 5 Feb 9 Sep 27 Jun 7 Apr 22 2005 2005 2005 2005 2000 2000 1999 Liberal 42 46 52 52 62 55 51 Moderate 34 37 29 31 23 25 29 Conservative 13 10 10 8 8 9 10 DK/NA 11 8 8 9 7 11 10 20. If George Pataki were to run for President in 2008, how likely is it that you would vote for him? Do you think you would definitely vote for him, probably vote for him, probably not vote for him, or definitely not vote for him? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Definitely 7% 12% 3% 6% 6% 8% Probably 20 30 13 18 22 18 Probably not 27 27 27 28 26 28 Definitely not 41 22 53 42 41 42 DK/NA 5 8 3 6 6 5 UpState..... UpState Urban Othr Total NYC Sub Definitely 6% 4% 4% 9% 8% Probably 13 18 16 23 21 Probably not 27 32 31 21 31 Definitely not 48 42 44 43 34 DK/NA 6 4 5 4 7 TREND: If George Pataki were to run for President in 2008, how likely is it that you would vote for him? Do you think you would definitely vote for him, probably vote for him, probably not vote for him, or definitely not vote for him? Oct 4 Aug 3 2005 2005 Definitely 7 5 Probably 20 23 Probably not 27 28 Definitely not 41 37 DK/NA 5 8 26. (If registered Republican) If the 2006 Republican primary for United States Senator were being held today and the candidates were Jeanine Pirro and Edward Cox for whom would you vote? REGISTERED REPUBLICANS Tot Men Wom Pirro 40% 42% 38% Cox 25 23 27 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 3 3 3 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 2 3 2 DK/NA 29 28 30 27. (If registered Republican) If the 2006 Republican primary for governor were being held today and the candidates were Randy Daniels, John Faso, William Weld and Tom Golisano for whom would you vote? REGISTERED REPUBLICANS Tot Men Wom Daniels 7% 4% 11% Faso 8 8 8 Weld 6 8 4 Golisano 33 38 26 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 3 5 2 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 4 3 4 DK/NA 39 34 45 28. (If registered Republican) When the Republican party nominates its candidate for governor, which quality do you think should be more important -- the candidate's ability to win the general election or the candidate's views on the issues? REGISTERED REPUBLICANS Tot Men Wom Ability to win 11% 16% 5% Views on issues 87 82 92 DK/NA 3 2 4
