ALBANY, N.Y. — A majority of New Yorkers think it’s time for Gov. Andrew Cuomo to go, according to a new Marist poll.
The survey, conducted overnight and released Wednesday, found that 59% of Empire State voters, including 52% of Democrats, believe Cuomo should resign following the bombshell attorney general’s report detailing sexual harassment allegations against the embattled governor.
If Cuomo does not step down, another 59% of New Yorkers say he should be impeached.
Only 32% say they want to see Cuomo serve out the remainder of his term.
Prior to the scandals currently engulfing his administration, the three-term governor had said he plans to run for reelection next year.
A paltry 12% of registered voters believe Cuomo should be reelected.
Some 59% of New Yorkers think Governor Andrew Cuomo should resign after an investigation found that he groped, kissed or made suggestive comments to 11 women in violation of state and federal law, a Marist poll showed https://t.co/lzF0jXSGIy pic.twitter.com/4uLLmYEixY
— Reuters (@Reuters) August 4, 2021
The 63-year-old Democratic governor has defiantly denied mounting calls for his resignation and has repeatedly said he’s done nothing wrong.
Following the release of Attorney General Letitia James’ report, which corroborated claims made by 11 women, mostly younger aides and staffers, Cuomo flatly denied the allegations against him.
In a prerecorded video released on Tuesday, the governor maintained his innocence and cast the independent investigation as politically-motivated and biased.
“I want you to know directly from me that I never touched anyone inappropriately or made inappropriate sexual advances,” he said.
James’ report detailed a pattern of predatory behavior on Cuomo’s part that included making lewd comments to underlings and touching female staffers without their consent. The investigation also found that the administration sought to retaliate against one of the governor’s accusers after she went public with her claims.
If he refuses to resign, Cuomo’s fate will rest in the hands of his fellow Democrats, who control the state Legislature.
The Assembly is in the midst of conducting an ongoing impeachment probe, and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said Tuesday that he believes Cuomo “can no longer remain in office” in light of the damning claims revealed in the report.
The Marist poll surveyed 542 registered Democrat, Republican and “non-enrolled” voters and has a margin of error of 5.5 points.
