By Mark Scott
Buffalo, NY – The latest Siena Research Institute poll released Monday shows Andrew Cuomo maintaining his wide lead over Governor David Paterson.
The poll was conducted before Governor Paterson officially announced his plans over the weekend to run for a full-term. After several months of small gains, Siena's Steven Greenberg says the poll shows a drop of 3 points in Paterson's favorability rating. On this afternoon's Capitol Pressroom on WBFO, Greenberg said Paterson is running out of time to rally support.
Greenberg says the Siena poll also shows Paterson is now trailing Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Lazio for the first time. Lazio leads Paterson 46 to 39 percent.
Paterson made several stops across New York, including the Buffalo area, over the weekend to announce his election plans. Albany correspondent Ken Lovitt told the Capitol Pressroom's Susan Arbetter that few Democratic leaders turned out to show their support.
Paterson's appearance at Christy's Restaurant at the Southgate Plaza in West Seneca did generate a lot of support from union members, who credit him for being out there while Cuomo has been largely silent about his plans.