More than half of New York voters oppose health insurance for undocumented residents

Siena College, a leading New York polling organization, has released its monthly poll of political voters, showing that incumbent Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul’s lead in the re-election race has narrowed, with moderate voters leaning toward her most likely Republican opponent, Elise Stefanik. Furthermore, most respondents expressed concern about the potential impact of the “Big, Beautiful” law on healthcare, with over half believing that illegal immigrants should bear the brunt of this damage.

The poll, conducted between August 4th and 7th among 813 registered New York voters from various regions, revealed mixed sentiments toward Hochul. Fifty-three percent approve of Hochul’s performance as governor, while 42% disapprove. However, 53% of respondents said they would rather vote for someone else in the gubernatorial election, while only 35% would vote for Hochul to secure her re-election. If Stefanik were to challenge for the governorship, 45% would prefer Hochul, while 31% would vote for Stefanik.

Although Republican Stefanik, a current Congressman, has not officially announced her candidacy for governor in 2026, she is widely considered to be interested in challenging for the office and the most likely opponent to Hochu. Polls show that both candidates have a lopsided support rate among voters in both parties. Among moderate and independent voters, Stefanik’s support rate is 35%, higher than Hochu’s 32%. Furthermore, 41% of respondents were unfamiliar with Stefanik, suggesting that her support rate has potential to increase.

When the survey included the criterion that “Stefanik is a staunch Trump supporter,” the percentage of respondents who believed her election as governor would be detrimental to New York State increased to 49%, indicating that Trump remains a negative factor in the state. Polls show that 56% of respondents dislike Trump, and more than half of those surveyed expressed disapproval or dissatisfaction with his policies across various areas, including the economy, security, civil rights, and foreign policy. Among moderate voters, a large majority sided with Trump.

Regarding the “Big, Beautiful” law signed by Trump, 36% of respondents believe that if New York State’s federal funding is cut as per the new law, the best response would be to reduce state services accordingly, while 24% believe that New York State should increase state taxes. If state services are reduced, 69% of respondents expressed concern about the forced closure of medical facilities in rural areas. Fifty-one percent believe that the first priority should be to end health insurance coverage for illegal immigrants, thereby saving $30 billion annually.