By Heather Grossmann
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — Gov. David Paterson’s favorability ratings inched upwards for the second month in a row, despite the state’s ongoing budget issues and his plan to withhold $750 million in payments to schools and municipalities, according to the latest poll.
Paterson’s record low approval rating of 27 percent in the spring has risen to 36 percent as of a Dec. 14 Siena College poll, but he still trails far behind potential gubernatorial candidate Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. Cuomo leads the governor in a potential 2010 match-up by 44 points.
The governor did overtake Republican candidate Rick Lazio in this poll, gaining a slim 42 to 40 percent lead, as compared to Lazio's 42 to 39 percent lead last month.
Currently, 65 percent of voters still prefer “someone else” to Paterson.
“None of the above” won out among voters when it came to who was doing the best job of resolving the state budget crisis, but voters were happy that the Legislature chose not to make further cuts to health care and education — a move that Paterson has criticized.
The slight uptick in the governor’s numbers followed several weeks of television commercials run by Paterson’s campaign.
