New York Post: GrayHouse Polling on New York Governor Race

Published in the New York PostBy

Carl Campanile

Read the full article here.

The New York Post reported:

"Upstate New York Rep. Elise Stefanik would be the clear front-runner in a Republican primary for governor next year and be the strongest candidate to take on Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul in a general election should she run, a new poll released Monday claims."

According to the GrayHouse survey:

• 44% of likely Republican voters support Stefanik• 7% support Rep. Mike Lawler

• 5% support Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman

• 44% are undecided

The poll found that Stefanik has a +47 net favorability among Republicans (56% favorable, 9% unfavorable), with higher name recognition than her potential rivals.

In a hypothetical general election:

• Hochul leads Stefanik 46% to 40%

• Hochul leads Lawler 45% to 38%

• Hochul leads Blakeman 44% to 36%

The article noted that 61% of voters said they would prefer to vote for "someone new" rather than re-elect Hochul.

The New York Post quoted the GrayHouse report:

"Should Congresswoman Elise Stefanik choose to enter the race for governor, she would begin the Republican primary in a dominant position and offer the GOP its strongest opportunity to defeat Governor Kathy Hochul in the 2026 general election."

Additionally, Hochul’s net job approval rating was reported as -18 overall (36% approve, 55% disapprove).

You can read the full New York Post article here.