The poll, released Friday by Quinnipiac University, found that a 70 percent majority of New Yorkers want Cuomo to hand in his resignation, while 55 percent want criminal charges filed against him. Only 25 percent of respondents said that the Democratic governor should not resign, while 29 percent agreed that he should not be charged with a crime.
The survey was conducted just after a report from New York Attorney General Letitia James concluded that Cuomo sexually harassed at least 11 women. Although the allegations against the governor have been public since last December, another Quinnipiac poll taken in March showed that only 43 percent of New Yorkers wanted Cuomo to resign then, while 49 percent said that he should not.
If Cuomo refuses to resign, 63 percent of respondents to the new poll said that he should be impeached and removed from office. A 65 percent majority said they believed the allegations against Cuomo were true, while 18 percent did not and 17 percent were undecided. The governor’s job approval rating has also hit its lowest-ever mark at 28 percent, with 70 percent of respondents saying Cuomo “has lost his ability to be an effective leader.”
The poll was conducted among 615 self-identified registered New York voters on August 4 and August 5. It has a margin of error of 4 percent.
Newsweek reached out to Cuomo’s office for comment but did not hear back in time for publication.
The nation’s top Democrats—President Joe Biden, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York—have all called on Cuomo to resign over the allegations. Resignation is also favored by every member of Congress from New York.
In addition, there is widespread support for Cuomo’s impeachment and removal in the Democrat-controlled New York state legislature, making it more likely that the governor will be forced out before his term expires even if he refuses to leave.
Regardless, Cuomo has been defiant and has given no indication that he intends to go willingly. On Tuesday, he insisted that he “never touched anyone inappropriately or made inappropriate sexual advances.” Cuomo’s legal team attacked James’ investigation during a Friday press briefing, arguing that it “was conducted in a manner to support a predetermined narrative.”
On Thursday, one of the governor’s alleged victims filed a criminal complaint against him, alleging that Cuomo had groped her breast during a visit to the executive mansion in Albany. Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple confirmed that Cuomo could be charged in the case if investigators determine the allegation warrants a charge.
“The end result could either be it sounds substantiated and an arrest is made and it would be up to the DA to prosecute the arrest,” Apple told the New York Post. “Just because of who it is we are not going to rush it or delay it.”
