Poll: Democrats pulling away in major New York races

In the Governor contest, Andrew Cuomo puts his boot on the neck of Carl Paladino, 57% to 34%, after a week in which Paladino made a spectacle of himself. Incumbent Democrat David Paterson, who took office after elected Democrat Elliott Spitzer resigned in disgrace, is not seeking re-election. 1 in 4 Republicans vote against Paladino. Independents in this contest split, one of the few high profile contests anywhere in 2010 where a Democrat is holding his own. Paladino is undamaged in Western NY, where he leads 3:2.

For US Senate, incumbent Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand, appointed to her position after elected Democrat Hillary Clinton joined the Obama Administration, has held her breath long enough for Democrats to come out of hiding, and today leads her Republican challenger Joe DioGuardi 54% to 35%. In a SurveyUSA poll conducted at the peak of the news frenzy over Paladino’s primary win, Gillibrand’s support was eerily suppressed, but that was then and this is now.