I suspect this poll result is reflective of New Yorkers not being all that familiar with Carl Paladino, the Republican gubernatorial candidate with a penchant for racist and sexually explicit e-mails who recently defeated Rick Lazio for the Republican nomination (via Maggie Haberman):
Republican Carl Paladino, aided by a 4-1 margin among Tea Partiers, trails New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, the Democratic candidate for Governor, 49 - 43 percent among likely voters, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.
The last poll had Cuomo up 60-23.
Lazio, who was competing with Paladino over who had more antipathy toward Muslims and who would be more aggressive in using government to block the construction of a proposed Islamic community center near Ground Zero, won the Conservative Party nomination, and he hasn't dropped out of the race, so this poll result may be misleading.
But again, I think the numbers are likely the result of many New Yorkers just not being that familiar with Paladino.
Paladino gets a 36 - 31 percent favorability and 31 percent of voters don't know enough about him to form an opinion.
Cuomo by contrast, has a 51-34 favorability rating. Frankly, if Cuomo can't beat a guy who sends his pals beastiality videos, the entire New York Democratic Party should resign in disgrace.
