Cuomo shouldn't resign right away, say 50% of voters in poll

What does Biden think about whether Cuomo should resign?

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(CNN) ––

Half of registered voters in New York State do not believe that Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo should resign immediately, a Siena College poll released Monday revealed.

A result that stands in contrast to mounting pressure for Cuomo to resign after allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate conduct.

As well as for his handling of COVID-19 deaths in state nursing homes.

A minority of voters, 35%, responded that Cuomo should resign immediately.

Meanwhile, 15% were not sure, according to the survey.

The survey was conducted from March 8-12.

• Most New York Democratic Congressmen Call for Governor Andrew Cuomo to Resign

The poll ended the same day that a majority of New York Congressional Democrats - including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand - called for Cuomo's resignation.

More than 50 New York State Democratic lawmakers also called for the governor to resign.

Still, the poll finds a strong partisan divide.

61% of Democratic voters said Cuomo shouldn't resign immediately (as opposed to 25% who said he should).

Meanwhile, 64% of Republicans want him to resign now.

Among independents, 46% indicated that Cuomo should not resign immediately, compared to 32% who say he should.

Cuomo has apologized for his behavior, but continues to categorically reject requests for him to resign.

An inquiry into the matter, led by the New York Attorney General's Office, is underway.

Additionally, Cuomo faces an impeachment inquiry, after the Speaker of the New York State Assembly authorized the judicial commission to begin an investigation.

The details of the sexual harassment complaint against Cuomo 5:17

“I want New Yorkers to hear this directly from me.

First of all, I fully support the right of women to report.

And I think that should be encouraged in every way, ”Cuomo said earlier this month.

“Now I understand that I acted in a way that made people uncomfortable.

It was unintentional and I sincerely and deeply apologize for that.

I feel very bad.

And frankly, I am ashamed.

It's not an easy thing to say, but that's the truth. "

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57% of voters said they were satisfied with the way the governor has dealt with allegations of sexual harassment.

Meanwhile, 32% said they were not satisfied and 11% did not know or did not have an opinion.

Now, 67% of Democratic voters are satisfied, while 22% are not.

54% of the men said they were satisfied, compared to 59% of the women who had the same answer.

Still, there are more people who say that Cuomo committed sexual harassment (35%) compared to those who say he did not (24%).

A considerable 41% say they don't know or don't have an opinion.

• Andrew Cuomo says he 'never touched anyone inappropriately' and rejects calls to resign

Cuomo also faces criticism because his government failed to report the total number of COVID-19 deaths among New York long-term care patients, according to a report by the state attorney general.

The report adds that the administration later delayed sharing potentially harmful information with state lawmakers.

Until the end of January, long-term care residents who died from COVID-19 were classified that way only if they died inside a facility.

Those who died after being transferred or admitted to hospital were not included in that specific figure.

The total deaths from covid-19 in New York remained the same.

However, the practice led to a drastic misrepresentation of the actual number of victims in New York's long-term care facilities.

The governor and his administration have defended his decision.

In that sense, they argued that as the Justice Department and New York State legislators asked questions, the federal investigation became their priority.

The governor has denied any suggestion of wrongdoing.

Cuomo faces a second sexual harassment charge 0:41

The Siena poll also found that voters are increasingly likely to say they will not vote to reelect Cuomo to a fourth term.

Only 34% of voters said they were willing to re-elect the governor if he ran in 2022. Meanwhile, 52% said they "would prefer someone else."

In February, 46% of voters responded that they would vote to re-elect him to a fourth term.

The poll, which included 805 voters, has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points and was conducted by phone.

Chandelis Duster and Veronica Stracqualursi, both from CNN, contributed to this report.

Sexual Harassment Andrew Cuomo Disclaimer