Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's popularity among New York voters has taken a nosedive, hitting an unprecedented low, as revealed by a recent Siena University poll.
According to the Conservative Daily News, the poll, released on Tuesday, indicates that Schumer's approval rating has dwindled to a mere 32%. This marks the lowest point in the Siena poll's twenty-year history, with 55% of respondents expressing an unfavorable view of him. The Democratic leader's standing within his own party is also shaky, with only 45% of Democrats rating his leadership favorably, while 43% gave him an unfavorable rating.
"In February 2005 the first Siena Poll in its current incarnation Schumer had a 63-20% favorability rating," Siena pollster Steven Greenberg stated. "In July 2005, he had his all-time best favorability rating, 70-22%. December 2016 the month before he became Senate Democratic leader was the last time Schumer had a positive favorability rating with Republicans, 55-37%. Today Schumer is viewed unfavorably by 74% of Republicans and 61% of independents. With Democrats, his favorability rating is barely positive, 45-43%, down from 52-36% in September."
Greenberg further noted that Schumer's unfavorable rating extends across the state, with a plurality of New York City voters and strong majorities of downstate suburbanites and upstaters viewing him unfavorably.
This recent Siena poll aligns with several other surveys conducted this year, all indicating Schumer's dwindling approval numbers. A Siena University poll from April showed Schumer with a 39% favorability rating and a 49% unfavorable rating. In contrast, a separate Siena Poll from September showed Schumer with a slightly higher favorability rating of 42% among New York State voters.
Democratic strategist Julie Roginsky recently suggested that Schumer is "no longer capable of leading the Democratic Party." Echoing this sentiment, "The View" co-host Sunny Hostin stated that if Schumer "cannot keep his caucus together," he "needs to go," referring to eight Democratic senators who defied Schumer by voting to advance a deal to reopen the government.
Despite the criticism, some Democratic lawmakers and candidates, as well as left-wing organizations, have called for Schumer's removal as leader of the Senate Democratic Caucus. This comes after eight members of his caucus negotiated a successful deal with Republicans to end the 43-day government shutdown, a deal Schumer did not support.
However, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has publicly expressed support for Schumer's leadership, stating on Nov. 1o that "the overwhelming majority of Senate Democrats, led by Chuck Schumer, have waged a valiant fight over the last seven weeks," as reported by Axios.
The overall approval rating for Congress has also taken a hit, dropping to a mere 15%, as per a Gallup survey released on Oct. 22.
The Siena Poll, conducted from Nov. 10 to 12, surveyed 802 New York State registered voters and has an overall margin of error of plus or minus 4.0 percentage points. Despite the challenges, Schumer's future in the Democratic Party remains uncertain, with his leadership and ability to unite his caucus under scrutiny.
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