Tea Party's Carl Paladino Within a Few Points of Andrew Cuomo in N.Y. Gov Race

Sept. 22, 2010— -- A poll released today sent shock waves through New York's gubernatorial race, showing surging Tea Party candidate Carl Paladino within striking distance of popular Democratic Attorney General Andrew Cuomo.

Cuomo leads Paladino among likely voters, 49 percent to 43 percent, with 7 percent undecided, the Quinnipiac University poll found. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.

Cuomo, the son of former three-term Gov. Mario Cuomo, appeared not to be alarmed by Paladino's surge, shrugging it off with "a grain of salt." He tried to deflect the attention by accepting an endorsement from New York City's popular Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Cuomo had long been expected to win the race in a walk. He has enjoyed high approval ratings, and Democrats have an overwhelming registration edge over Republicans in New York State.

Many Democrats believed Cuomo's chances only improved when Paladino – a maverick businessman from Buffalo toting a lot of political baggage – unexpectedly trounced former Rep. Rick Lazio in last week's Republican primary.

But the new poll makes clear that the clamor for change so evident elsewhere in the nation this year has spread to liberal, Democratic-leaning New York.

Likely voters in the Quinnipiac survey called "change" their No. 1 priority. That is a boost for Paladino, who has never held elective office, won the GOP primary with an "I'm mad as hell" motto, and has vowed to clean up the state capital, Albany, with "a baseball bat."

Just 10 percent of voters in the Quinnipiac poll consider "right experience" as the quality that matters most in determining their vote, a troubling sign for Cuomo.

"The question was whether Carl Paladino would get a bounce from his big Republican primary victory. The answer is, 'Yes.' He's within shouting distance and – you can count on it – he will be shouting," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

"Cuomo might be a victim of his own excess. Politicians and polls have depicted him so relentlessly as a sure thing he might be a victim of the 'throw the bums out' attitude that hits incumbents in this angry year," Carroll said.

Paladino has relentlessly attacked Cuomo since winning the Republican primary, calling him "Prince Andrew" and "the entitled one" and even wondering if Cuomo has the "cajones" to debate.