Poll find Cuomo a favorite for governor

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Cuomo continues to be a huge favorite over Republicans Rick Lazio and Carl Paladino, according to the latest Siena Research Institute poll.

Cuomo leads in head-to-head and three-way matchups, the poll said. Voters said Cuomo would be more effective than either of the Republicans on key issues that affect New Yorkers.

"Andrew Cuomo continues to be the prohibitive favorite to be elected New York's next governor," Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg said in a statement.

Among Republicans, 43 percent said they would vote for Lazio in the Sept. 14 primary, with 30 percent favoring Paladino.

The poll, conducted Aug. 9-16, found:

Cuomo leads Lazio 60 percent to 26 percent, compared with 60-28 last month.

Cuomo's lead over Paladino is 60 percent to 27 percent, down from 64-23 last month.

Cuomo garners 56 percent to 19 percent for Lazio (as a Republican) and 12 percent for Paladino (as an Independent).

The poll also said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) has widened her lead over her GOP opponents.

"For the first time, more voters - 38 percent - would rather elect Kirsten Gillibrand to the Senate seat she was appointed to, rather than the 36 percent who support 'someone else,' " Greenberg said. "Additionally, her favorability rating improved to 40-29 percent, up from 34-29 percent in July."

The poll was conducted by phone calls to 788 New York State registered voters, according to the release. It has a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points. It includes 189 Republicans, with a margin of error of 7.1 percentage points. Data were statistically adjusted by age, party, region and gender to ensure representativeness.