Andrew Cuomo sees major spike in favorability rating amid coronavirus pandemic

Back in February, a Siena College poll showed that only 44 percent of New Yorkers viewed their Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) favorably. Then, the coronavirus pandemic hit.

Cuomo has received widespread praise for his calm, cool, and collected approach as he guides the country's epicenter through the COVID-19 outbreak, and his constituents are on the bandwagon, as well. In March, Cuomo's favorability rating spiked to 71 percent, which is the highest it's been since he was first elected governor in 2011.

There's still a partisan split, but even Republicans in the state have shown some appreciation, as more than twice as many GOP voters approve of Cuomo now than last month.

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Cuomo's numbers are even better when it just boils down to his coronavirus response, which has garnered an 87 percent satisfaction rate.

The spike makes sense — as former Vice President Joe Biden noted Sunday, Americans historically tend to rally around presidents during times of crisis, and there's no reason to think that wouldn't be the same for governors.

Siena College surveyed 566 registered New York voters between March 22 and 26. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points. Read more here.