Sheldon Silver. (Photo: Daniel Barry/Getty Images)

A slim majority of  New York voters think Assembly Speaker Shelly Silver should resign over his mishandling of the Vito Lopez sexual harassment scandal, according to a new poll out Wednesday, which also found most parents want their daughters steering clear of Albany.

The Quinnipiac poll found that 51 percent of those surveyed think Mr. Silver should step down from office, versus just 22 percent who feel he should remain. The feeling was especially high among men, suburban voters and Republicans.

Mr. Silver's approval rating also took a tumble because of the scandal, hitting its lowest point in the poll's history, with 52 percent disapproving of the job he's doing--up from 44 percent on April 17. Just 21 percent of voters polled think he' doing a good job, following a pair of blistering reports that showed he was more interested in deflecting press attention than investigating allegations that Mr. Lopez was sexually harassing young staff.

“The Vito Lopez sex scandal persuades a bare majority of New Yorkers that Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver should step aside," pollster Maurice Carroll said in a statement.

Given all the lurid headlines, most New Yorkers told the pollsters they wouldn't want their daughters to intern for the State Legislature. "Not my daughter," said 58 percent of voters. Fathers were especially adamant, as were those with children under the age of 18, the survey found.

“With all the stories about the bad behavior in Albany, would you want your daughter to be a legislative intern?  A majority of voters say no,” Mr. Carroll said.

The poll also found that Gov. Andrew Cuomo's numbers have hit their lowest point to date, with 53 thinking he's doing a good job, versus 30 percent who say he isn't--his lowest net approval rating since he took office. Still, his approval rating stands at 68 percent among Democrats and 58 percent of all voters said he deserves to be re-elected, so his electoral standing remains relatively strong.

New Yorkers also remain skeptical of their government, however, with 67 percent saying the state government is "dysfunctional" and 86 percent saying corruption is a “very serious” or “somewhat serious” problem.

The poll of 1,075 New York State voters, conducted from May 29 through June 3, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. (Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images)

A spokesman for Police Commissioner Ray Kelly says the city's top cop has nothing to do with a recent poll that appears to be testing the waters for a potential mayoral run.

The telephone poll, by the Queens-based Opinion Access Corp., asked a variety of questions about the commissioner, as well as how he matched up with the other candidates, according to a source, as well as reports by Capitol New York and the Village Voice.

Was the commissioner behind the poll? Was he aware it was happening before the reports? And is he considering a last-minute jump into the race?

"No

No

No," Deputy Commissioner Paul Browe replied via email Friday evening.

Mr. Kelly has repeatedly said he has no interest in running for public office, but has yet to decide whether he would stay on in the next administration, if asked.

The poll just happened to coincide with ex-Congressman Anthony Weiner's formal entry into the race. The deadline to file for the election is June 10.

Anthony Weiner. (Photo: Getty)

Former Congressman Anthony Weiner, who announced his highly-anticipated mayoral campaign in the wee hours of the morning today, has not managed to make up much ground in public polling since he floated his name a month ago. Indeed, his percentage in the Democratic primary--15 percent--is the exact same in today's Quinnipiac poll as the firm's April 19 survey.

According to new numbers out this morning, 49 percent of the electorate thinks Mr. Weiner should not run for mayor while just 38 percent say he should. Female voters in particular reacted with negativity at Mr. Weiner's return--52 percent said he shouldn't pursue his Gracie Mansion ambitions. This is despite Mr. Weiner's flurry of emotional television interviews seeking to soften his image in the aftermath of infamous two-year-old Twitter scandal.

“Should Weiner run? More, especially women, say no,” Maurice Carroll, the pollster's director, noted in a statement. “Weiner has been at 15 percent two polls in a row. Can he get to 16 percent?”

Overall, Mr. Weiner remains in second place, behind Council Speaker Christine Quinn, whose standing continues to slip. While several months ago Ms. Quinn was approaching the 40 percent threshold needed to avoid a run-off election, today she stands at just 25 percent. Two other candidates, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio and 2009 nominee Bill Thompson, are tied with 10 percent apiece, and Comptroller John Liu is in fifth place with 6 percent.

“With former Congressman Anthony Weiner seeking the Democratic nod, it still looks like Council Speaker Christine Quinn against the guys,” Mr. Carroll said. “But where she once was brushing up against the magic 40 percent number that could get her past a run-off, the wear and tear of the campaign, and possibly the addition of Weiner, are taking a toll on the front-runner."

He added, “This poll says there’s a run-off. It just doesn’t say who’s in the runoff.”

View the full results below:

(Photo: Getty)

Should he enter this year's mayoral race, former Congressman Anthony Weiner would start at a decent position--15 percent--according to a new NBC New York-Marist poll released this evening. In the Democratic primary survey, Council Speaker Christine Quinn continues to lead the pack with 26 percent, with Comptroller John Liu, former Comptroller Bill Thompson and Public Advocate Bill de Blasio narrowly behind Mr. Weiner.

However, the key takeaway might not be the exact percentages, but rather the increased difficulty any candidate would have in reaching the 40-percent threshold to avoid a run-off with Mr. Weiner in the race.

“Right now, a Weiner candidacy attracts double-digit support in the Democratic primary,” pollster Lee Miringoff explained in a statement. “He makes it even more difficult for any of the Democratic contenders to reach the needed forty percent to avoid a run-off.”

Without Mr. Weiner in contention, Ms. Quinn's support rises to 30 percent, a 7-point tumble from her last standing in February. A de Blasio supporter was quick to attribute the shift to a recent slate of bad press, but, of course, it's still a long-way until Election Day and in a multi-candidate primary, voters' choices tend to be relatively volatile.

"To punctuate the fluidity of the Democratic primary contest, only 34% of Democrats who have a candidate preference are firmly committed to that candidate. 30% are somewhat behind their pick while 35% might vote differently," Marist's press release noted. "Two percent are unsure."

Despite a decent base of support, Mr. Weiner still faces a steep hill to climb in recovering his good name after an infamous Twitter scandal claimed his resignation just two years ago. Indeed, a full 50 percent of Democrats said they were not open to his candidacy, challenging him with a potential ceiling of support should he ultimately make the run-off.

Politicker reached out to Mr. Weiner for comment about his polling position. He responded to our attempt at an inside joke, but not at the question at hand.

View the results below:

(Photo: Getty)

Governor Andrew Cuomo reached his all-time high job approval last month, with 74 percent of the state's voters telling Quinnipiac University that they approve of the governor's performance and only 13 percent taking the opposing position. As Mr. Cuomo himself predicted yesterday, however, his support dropped after he quickly pushed the passage of a new gun policy package earlier this month. He now stands at a still-respectable 59 - 28 approval rating.

In a Quinnipiac survey released this morning, Republicans appear to be a key factor in Mr. Cuomo's doubling disapproval number, likely due to the controversial gun control issue. Indeed, while only 34 percent of New Yorkers said the new legislation went “too far," 59 percent of the state's Republicans begged to differ. Mr. Cuomo's GOP approval fell from an astounding 68 - 18 percent on December 12--just two days before the Newtown massacre--to 44 - 43 today.

"Is Gov. Cuomo's honeymoon with Republicans over, or is this just a spat that can be patched up in the months ahead?" Maurice Carroll, the polling firm's director, asked in the press release announcing the new numbers. "Cuomo lost some Republican support after the 2011 same-sex marriage bill, but he got it back."

Despite Mr. Cuomo's hit among Republicans, Mr. Caroll argued the governor's overall support is far from shabby.

"With approval ratings that consistently topped 70 percent, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo had the political capital to spend when he set out to pass the toughest gun control laws in the nation," the pollster said. "It is possible that the gun law cost him some of that political capital, but a 2-1 job approval rating still makes him the envy of most governors."

For his part, Mr. Cuomo predicted "anxiety" among gun-owners will go away and some of them will realize that the state's new gun laws are not as draconian as they feared.

“There’s also I would say a fair level of confusion if not anxiety,” he explained yesterday. “‘How does the law affect me? I’m a gun owner, what does it mean?’ And the law is technical and I think they have questions and I think that’s fueling the opposition now because it’s fueling the anxiety. I think when they actually find out about the law, it’s not going to be as bad as they think.”

Read more here.

(Photo: Getty)

Governor Andrew Cuomo says his popularity probably took a shot after he pushed through a controversial gun policy package earlier this month.

The prognostication in question came during a Tuesday morning radio interview with New York Post columnist Fred Dicker. Mr. Dicker, who's sparred with Mr. Cuomo in the past on the issue, predicted Mr. Cuomo's typically sky-high numbers would take a tumble in the next statewide survey and Mr. Cuomo simply agreed.

"We know what the polls say on this because we've done it. We haven't done it after the fact, but they were clear enough before the fact," Mr. Cuomo replied. "I think your prediction is right."

Mr. Cuomo argued the damage wouldn't be due to the unpopularity of the NY SAFE Act, but rather because the gun law's passionate detractors would be more likely to express their frustration on the single issue alone.

"The issue is about a 70-30 issue. 70 percent of the people of the state saying they wanted gun control, etcetera," he explained. "Within the 30, there's a group that feels very strongly about it. You've been making their case quite eloquently for a number of days. They tend to be [from] Upstate. They tend to be conservative. ... I know their opposition. I know they're going to be displeased. I would expect that you're going to see that in the poll. And that will be that. They will be unhappy."

Mr. Cuomo also claimed that some of the opposition to the new gun policies--which include tougher restrictions on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines--was due to "anxiety" that will eventually go away.

"There's also I would say a fair level of confusion if not anxiety," he said. "'How does the law affect me? I'm a gun owner, what does it mean?' And the law is technical and I think they have questions and I think that's fueling the opposition now because it's fueling the anxiety. I think when they actually find out about the law, it's not going to be as bad as they think."

Nevertheless, the governor emphasized that it wasn't his job to avoid popular blowback

"That's the nature of the business. I understand that, I expected it. I've gone through it before. We went through it with marriage equality. There are people who feel very strongly about an issue, and, especially in the immediate aftermath, they let you know about it!" he exclaimed. "We are not here as elected officials, to do the easy ones."

(Photo: Getty)

Quinnipiac University Polling Institute is out with another survey of New York City voters today and Council Speaker Christine Quinn, with 35 percent of the vote, still posts a wide margin over her main Democratic rivals in the campaign for City Hall. Public Advocate Bill de Blasio came in second with 11 percent, followed by former Comptroller Bill Thompson at 10 percent and Comptroller John Liu's 9 percent.

"Council Speaker Christine Quinn still dominates the Democratic field," Maurice Carroll, the polling firm's director, said in a statement. “There is almost no gender gap for any candidate. For example, Quinn gets 36 percent of women and 34 percent of men, while Liu gets 10 percent of men and 9 percent of women."

The fact that Ms. Quinn leads isn't surprising since she held a similar number--32 percent--in Quinnipiac's November poll. Other than Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer dropping out of the field, there have been few significant developments in the race. Indeed, of the four Democrats polled, only Mr. Thompson has officially kicked off his campaign for  Gracie Mansion.

On the Republican side of the aisle, things have changed substantively since November, with former MTA Chairman Joe Lhota ramping up his mayoral efforts and receiving a relatively large amount of press coverage as a result. At 23 percent of the vote, Mr. Lhota now leads his primary, confining the other Republican candidates to single digits. In the general election, however, Mr. Lhota gets crushed--although slightly less painfully than in Quinnipiac's last poll that found Mr. Lhota trailing "Unnamed Democrat" 60 percent to 9 percent. In today's survey, Mr. Lhota holds roughly 18 percent in a match-up with leading Democrats, who have support ranging from 55 percent to 62 percent against him.

"The top three Democrats all thump Lhota. We limit the matchups to candidates who show some strength in their primaries," Mr. Carroll said. "New York City is a very blue city. Any Republican who wants to follow in the footsteps of Mayors Rudolph Giuliani or Michael Bloomberg will need to win lots of Democratic and independent voters."

Of course, it should be noted that polls taken this far out, especially of notoriously fluid multi-candidate primary fields, are mostly a test of name recognition, and the campaign itself is certain to shake things up once it is officially underway and voters are actually paying attention. Nevertheless, Ms. Quinn's dominating 64-18 percent approval rating among all of the city's voters is a serious challenge her opponents will have to surmount.

Read more here.

(Photo: Getty)

"Okay, the race for the White House is over and it's time to look at the New York City mayoral race, where the possibly decisive Democratic primary could be as early as June. The morning line? City Council Speaker Christine Quinn leaves the other Democratic contenders in the dust," Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said in a statement with his latest survey.

The numbers indeed show Ms. Quinn far ahead, with 32% support among registered Democrats, even as she faces off against two citywide elected officials, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio and Comptroller John Liu, and 2009's nominee, Bill Thompson. Mr. Thompson barely edged out Mr. de Blasio for the silver medal, 10 to 9 percent, with Mr. Liu standing at 5 percent.

(The survey was conducted before Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer dropped out of the race, but he took only 4 percent).

It's not exactly surprising that Ms. Quinn is ahead; she's led all recent polling, including last month's NY1/Marist survey.

However, it's important to keep in mind that multi-candidate primary races are incredibly fluid, as voters are far more likely to change their mind in a primary than the typical Republican vs. Democrat affair. Also, as the poll included all registered Democrats, it undoubtedly captured a wider audience than the more motivated electorate that will actually turn out come Election Day. Nevertheless, it's much better to be ahead than behind, and Ms. Quinn's rivals have a lot of work to do.

Two potential Republican candidates were also tested, M.T.A. Chairman Joe Lhota and former Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión, and they distantly trailed in a question pitting them against a generic Democrat.

View below:

(Photo: Getty)

Is it the wet fleece? It's not immediately clear, but according to a new Quinnipiac University Polling Institute survey, New York City voters gave the highest storm response-marks to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, preferring his tactics over President Barack Obama, Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Quinnipiac's director, Maurice Carroll, said these numbers can be attributed to Mr. Christie's full embrace of Mr. Obama in the wake of the storm.

"The storm-of-the-century brings out the best in Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New Yorkers say. But that love fest between New Jersey Gov. Christopher Christie and President Barack Obama seems to have moved voters especially," Mr. Carroll explained in a statement. "While all four leaders get very high marks - it seems a hug or two never hurts."

A total of 89 percent of New Yorkers voters said Mr. Christie's response was "excellent" or "good," with, 85 percent doing the same for Mr. Cuomo, 84 percent for Mr. Obama and 75 percent for Mr. Bloomberg. Placed side-by-side and asked to choose who was the best, Mr. Christie still came out on top with a 36 percent plurality.

Even though Mr. Bloomberg trails the leader pack in terms of ratings, Quinnipiac found his overall approval score to be the highest it's been in two years, 56 percent, undoubtedly helped by his management of the crisis. A huge 85 percent majority supported his decision to ration gasoline, for example.

But the biggest winner of all may be Mr. Bloomberg's now-famous sign language interpreter, Lydia Callis, who has an approve-disapprove ratio most politicians would drool over, 53 - 2 percent.

"Is it what she says, or the way she says it? Whatever, mayoral signer Lydia Callis is almost as popular as her boss," Mr. Carroll said.

More below:

A Broad Channel voting site. (Photo: @JessicaProud)

As New Yorkers crowd into long lines, waiting for the right to vote at polling sites that may or may not have functional machines to tally the votes, Mayor Michael Bloomberg held another press conference to update the city on its recovery in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. While addressing the storm, Mr. Bloomberg, who has criticized the local Board of Elections in the past, did not hold back in his frustration with the issues at the polls today.

"People all around the world would like to have our freedoms and to keep them and extend them, we have to exercise them. I know many people, including myself, are encountering lines at the polls. Be patient, it's worth the wait," he said. "From the reports that we've gotten, the Board of Elections has run into problems, including late delivery of machines to some sites and late openings. Also, this morning, we learned the Board failed to secure enough fuel for generators at least one poll site; we became aware of it and the Department of Education did deliver fuel to that polling site....If these were the only problems the Board of Elections encountered today, we should consider ourselves very lucky. But, unfortunately, based on its history, that is not likely to be the case."

Even when Mr. Bloomberg went to vote at his polling place on the Upper East Side, he encountered a 40 minute line and workers there were unable to find his name in the book of registered voters and improperly had him find his name himself.

"I can tell you that where I voted this morning, the poll workers could not have been nicer, they really were trying," Mr. Bloomberg explained. "But the system that we now have in place, instead of you going to one place to get your card and then into a booth, you go to one place, you get a folder, a card and a ballot. Then you have to go to another place to fill it out while people can look over your shoulder. Then you've got to go to another place to stick the piece of paper into a scanning machine. All the crowds, it's hard to get around, nobody knows where anything is. It's about as inefficient of a system--everybody I talked to kept saying, 'What is this?' ...They were just stunned. I kept hearing, 'What's this? A third-world county?"

The mayor concluded his discussion of the Election Day issues by criticizing the decision to switch out the old voting devices, which used levers, with the new automated ballot-scanning machines that many voters encountered for the first time today.

"We did have machines, incidentally, that worked. They worked fine. You could go in, close the curtain behind you, pull the levers," he reminded everyone. "I was told that they couldn't get parts to repair them. You call a company and a company will make the parts you need. That would have been simple and we wouldn't have to spend any more money. And there's a problem of how the results are reported. In the olden days, you would look at the numbers, have two or three people look at the number, make sure we wrote it down accurately, and called it in. Now, unfortunately, there are papers that come out and they have to cut them with scissors and paste them and staple them together; they can get lost, they can get mixed up. It's just a nightmare. It's really hard to understand, in this day and age, how you can do that."