Poll: Hillary Trouncing Rudy In New York — And Bloomberg Is In Single Digits
Wow, this is a surprising number: Hillary Clinton is not just beating Rudy Giuliani in his home state — and her adopted state — of New York, but is trouncing the former Mayor by over 20 points in a new poll. The survey, released today by Crain's New York Business, finds that Hillary is beating Rudy 53%-32%.
The poll has another eye-opening number, too — one that suggests New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has lots of work to do if he is serious about launching an Independent bid. It finds that if he were running as a third-party candidate against Hillary and Rudy, he'd languish in the single digits in New York, garnering a dismal seven percent of the vote. And if he can't get traction for his Presidential run in New York, where he's a popular Mayor, where could he find traction for it?
Nothing surprising about this poll.
People in NY know Rudy. People in the rest of the country know only the 9/11 Rudy.
February 5, 2007 12:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
From Salon.com.
As his second term wound down, New Yorkers knew what Rudy was, and they were sick of it. In 1999, they rejected his caudillo-style attempt to amend the city's (relatively new) term-limit law so he could serve another four years. By May 2000, with crime at historic lows, the city's economy still aglow, real estate prices soaring -- the kind of external factors that normally make politicians untouchable -- his approval rating had slid to a Bush-oid 37 percent, according to a Quinnipiac University poll. In December 2001, when Giuliani finally stepped down -- after trying and failing to exploit his post 9/11 popularity by passing a special law that would've added three months to his reign) -- the New York Times interrupted its elegy for the Rudy years with a sober reminder. "The suppression of dissent," noted the Times, "or of anything that irked the mayor, became a familiar theme."
The entire article is here: http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2006/12/05/giuliani/
February 5, 2007 1:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
This isn't surprising at all. New York is a pretty big state, ya know, and being mayor of NYC isn't really a huge turn-on for lots of the state (screen name aside, I live in Northern NY). And Hillary just ran an unopposed campaign for Senate statewide, so her favs are pretty high.
The fact that Giuliani's a thug completes the blowout.
And Bloomberg ... outside of NYC, who cares about Bloomberg?
February 5, 2007 1:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
Giuliani's popularity in New York has always been overstated by people outside of New York. He was an effective mayor for a time, and was able to solve certain problems, but once that job was done, the city got a little sick of him, his pushy ways, and his tendency to hang out with Bernie Kerik.
Bloomberg is a popular mayor, but I think everyone in New York knows that his type of leadershhip, which is pretty intrusive (banning smoking in bars, trans-fats in restaurants) will not play nationally. I think a lot of people in Red States would be unable to tolerate a guy like Bloomberg -- who really does think he knows more than the people and isn't afraid to make laws based on that assumption.
thosethingswesay.blogspot.com
February 5, 2007 1:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hillary - She's done a good job representing the state, and her values are more in line with the values of most of the state.
Rudy - He's become much more of a mainstream Republican since he was mayor. When he was mayor, he was fairly fiercely independent from the national party, which is part of why he experienced success - now, he's a kiss-ass.
Bloomberg - Who? No, seriously, even those who have heard of him don't care that much. He's a competent administrator, but that's about it. Those who wish to run independent bids for anything have to have substantial name recognition and charisma to substitute for the party label brand name, and Bloomberg doesn't have substantial quantities of either outside the state.
BTW, Blue staters typically are willing to elect Reddish politicians to state offices, for a variety of reasons. Rudy was a decisive tough guy prosecutor when the city was both feeling the weight of crime and feeling that Dinkins was too wishy washy. Bloomberg seemed competent and in-line with the financial services industry which is such a vital part of the cities economic life. In New York and in New England, Republican candidates for governor do well in part because they're regarded as a counter weight to an entrenched Democratic machine.
None of that works well for those same politicians going for national offices. At a national level, it's the Republican machine that's seen as needing a counterweight.
February 5, 2007 1:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm beginning to get a little bored with all these continual "BREAKING NEWS" polling headliner diaries, which are just about as interesting as a "News Alert" story of a cow getting stuck downtown.
Are we going to get these poll 'Headliner' diaries for the next year until the election... HELP!
I mean can't we collate them at the end of the day or something... oh well I guess some people get a kick out of them.
February 5, 2007 2:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, not very surprising to actual New Yorkers, most of whom did not like Giuliani overall. Wealthy Manahttanites like the illusion of safety his trigger-happy police force gave them. And yes, we appreciated his ability to feign seriousness and competence post 9/11. Other than that he is remembered as a corrupt, hateful, racist who kept his girlfriend at Gracie Mansion and who has simply terrible, awful hair.
February 5, 2007 3:49 PM | Reply | Permalink