TOWN OF POUGHKEEPSIE - While much of the buzz has shifted toward Caroline Kennedy since news broke of her interest in assuming Hillary Clinton’s Senate seat, she is not New Yorkers’ clear choice.  25% of registered voters in the state say Governor David Paterson should select Kennedy to replace the senator if Clinton is confirmed as Secretary of State.  New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo receives the exact same proportion of support from voters.  25% say he should be the one chosen to replace Clinton.  However, a notable 26% of voters say they aren’t sure who should fill the sitting senator’s seat.  

Kennedy is the choice among more Democrats.  31% believe the daughter of President John F. Kennedy should be appointed to the Senate.  This compares with 21% of Democrats who are pulling for Cuomo.  The pattern reverses when looking at New York Republicans.  34% of Republicans say the right choice is Cuomo while 21% believe it should be Kennedy.  Voters not enrolled in a party split.  Looking across the state, Kennedy garners more support than Cuomo in New York City while Cuomo has more backers in the suburbs.  Upstate divides.  

So, what about the other possible contenders?  Kennedy and Cuomo leave the pack in the dust.  Among New York registered voters, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown receives 6%.  Hudson Valley Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand and New York City Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez each receive 4% while New York City Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney and Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi each garner 3%.  Long Island Congressman Steve Israel and Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion trail with 2% each.

VOTERS VIEW CUOMO AND KENNEDY FAVORABLY:
New Yorkers have positive perceptions of both Andrew Cuomo and Caroline Kennedy.  64% of New Yorkers say they have a favorable impression of Cuomo while 62% view Kennedy in a similar light.  18% of registered voters have an unfavorable impression of Cuomo compared with just 9% of those who have an unfavorable impression of Kennedy.  When it comes to the other Senate hopefuls, many New Yorkers say they do not have a strong impression one way or the other or have not heard of them.

HIGH HOPES FOR HILLARY: MOST NEW YORKERS EXPECT
GREAT THINGS FROM HILLARY CLINTON AS SECRETARY OF STATE.
70% of registered voters say Clinton will do either an excellent or good job in this new position while just 11% believe she will perform poorly.  Looking at party lines, 82% of Democrats say Clinton will excel in her newly-designated role.  Even a majority of New York Republicans -- 57% -- share this view.

PATERSON HOLDS HIS OWN AMONG A MAJORITY OF NEW YORK VOTERS:
54% of registered voters in New York State approve of the job Governor David Paterson is doing in office.  45% believe Paterson is doing a good job while 9% report he is performing excellently.  Paterson’s job approval rating remains relatively unchanged since the Marist Poll’s previous statewide survey.  Last month, 51% said Paterson was doing an above average job.  More Democrats than Republicans currently report that the governor is meeting their expectations.  However, there is little difference in Paterson’s appeal across the state.  49% of New York City dwellers believe Paterson’s performance is up to snuff while 57% and 55% of suburban and upstate voters, respectively, approve of Paterson’s job.