Andrew Cuomo Vs. Cynthia Nixon: Who Will Win The Primary: POLL

New York Democrats don’t get to vote for their gubernatorial candidate in the 2018 primary until Thursday, Sept. 13. But according to a recent Quinnipiac University Poll, there is already a favorite.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo leads “Sex and the City” actress and activist Cynthia Nixon by 36 percentage points, up from 22 points in a May survey.

The governor leads 58 percent to 20 percent among Democratic women and 60 percent to 28 percent among Democratic men.

Among white Democrats, Cuomo leads 53 to 28 and among non-white Dems, he leads 65 percent to 18 percent.

No matter the primary outcome, Nixon will appear on the November general election ballot on the Working Families Party line.

That may not make a difference because, according to the Quinnipiac poll, in a general election head-to-head, Cuomo got 43 percent, Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro gets 23 percent on the Republican line, Nixon gets 13 percent from the Working Families and the Libertarian, Green Party and Serve America Movement candidates split 6 percent.

FYI, there is no Republican primary for governor because Molinaro was endorsed by the party and there were no challengers.

Mary Snow, polling analyst for the Quinnipiac University Poll, said New Yorkers were certainly opinionated about what they wanted in a gubernatorial candidate.

“New Yorkers say 59 to 30 percent they want a gubernatorial candidate with experience in politics over someone new to it,” she said. “Democrats, non-white voters and women, in particular, lead the charge in that preference.”

Are people basing their decisions on knowledge of the candidates? Not necessarily, according to Snow.

“A significant percentage of voters say they haven’t heard enough about Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s two main rivals” — Molinaro and Nixon — “to give them a thumbs up or down on what they think of them. That is also helping Gov. Cuomo,” she said.

So if the primary were held today, for whom would you vote? If doesn’t matter how you are registered — the last day to register for the state or local primary is Aug. 19 — vote in our extremely unscientific poll and tell us what you think in the comments.

To confirm that you are registered in the state of New York, go here. To read more about the Quinnipiac poll, including complete methodology, click here.

Image via Shutterstock.