By Jill Colvin
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — Less than a week before Election Day, Andrew Cuomo is maintaining his commanding lead over bombastic challenger Carl Paladino, according to a new Quinnipiac poll.
The poll shows the state attorney general and Democratic gubernatorial candidate ahead by 20 points, leading Paladino 55 percent to 33 percent among likely voters.
In an earlier Quinnipiac poll released on Oct. 7, Cuomo led by 18 percent.
More than half of those polled described their view of Paladino, a Buffalo developer whose campaign has suffered from numerous gaffes, as negative.
"That Republican wave that's said to be sweeping the country runs into a levee — a dam, a blockade, whatever figure of speech you like — at the New York border probably because of Carl Paladino’s foot-in-mouth disease," Quinnipiac University Polling Institute Director Maurice Carroll said in a statement announcing the results.
"Attorney General Andrew Cuomo can start measuring the Executive Mansion curtains. This race is all but over."
A Siena poll released last week, found Cuomo leading Paladino by 37 points.
Just seven percent of those polled said they do not know whom they’ll choose on election day.
Still, Carroll cautioned that the high polling numbers could impact election day turnout, galvanizing opponents and convincing suppers to stay home because they feel their candidates are safe.
The poll also found that Democratic U.S. senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer — who could take Harry Reid’s place as Senate Majority or Minority leader — are likely to win in landslide votes.
Both of their Republican challengers, Joe DioGuardi and Jay Townsend continue to suffer from a lack of name recognition, with at least 50 percent of voters saying they do not know enough about either candidate to form an opinion.
The poll, conducted Oct. 18 through 24, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percent.
