NEW YORK CITY—Mayor Bill de Blasio's approval rating has held steady even after a bruising war of words with the city's police unions — bolstered by overwhelming support from black and Latino voters as well as successes on key policy issues, according to a new poll and experts.
Voters approve of the job de Blasio is doing by a 49 to 40 percent margin, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Friday.
The figure is virtually unchanged from earlier polls from January to December 2014 when the mayor's approval rating ranged from 47 percent to 53 percent.
"New Yorkers are willing to give the mayor more time to fix the racial and community divide with police," said political consultant Basil Smikle Jr.
De Blasio received harsh criticism from the city's police unions following comments he made after a Staten Island grand jury declined to indict a white police officer in the chokehold death of black man Eric Garner.
Right after the decision, the mayor spoke of how he has had to teach his biracial teenage son Dante to handle interactions with police. Police unions took the language as an insult to police.
After two NYPD officers were killed in an ambush shooting, Patrolmen's Benevolent Association president Pat Lynch said de Blasio had blood on his hands. Officers turned their backs on de Blasio during funerals for detectives Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos.
But a separate Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday found that 69 percent of voters felt that officers were wrong to turn their back on the mayor while 77 percent felt Lynch's comments were "too extreme." Only 18 percent of voters had a favorable opinion of Lynch versus 39 percent who had an unfavorable opinion and 41 percent who said they hadn't heard enough.
"As long as de Blasio communicates his accomplishments such as breaking ground on affordable housing and fixing Rikers Island, he has some wiggle room with voters," said Smikle.
Buoying the mayor's numbers is continued overwhelming support from black and Latino voters, Seventy-eight percent of black voters and 54 percent of Latino voters approve of the job de Blasio is doing, while white voters continue to disapprove of the mayor.
The poll found that 32 percent of white voters approve of de Blasio compared to 57 percent who disapprove.
Smikle said black and Latino voters like what they are hearing from the mayor.
"His comments after the Garner case and the frequent invocation of his family have played a large role in driving support from communities of color and keeping it consistent," said Smikle.
The poll also found that 71 percent of voters approve of the job Gov. Andrew Cuomo is doing versus 23 percent who disapprove. Poll organizers also point out that Cuomo has high approval ratings among Hispanics, whites and blacks.
Seventy-nine percent of black voters, 66 percent of white voters and 70 percent of Hispanic voters approve of Cuomo's job performance.
"Cuomo is exceptionally strong compared to the mayor," said Maurice Carroll, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll. "It's striking to see the difference as Cuomo sweeps the board in New York City whereas de Blasio is just about where he was before."
Smikle said voters may see the the mayor and governor as foils.
"De Blasio is a balance against Cuomo being unabashedly moderate and Cuomo has pushed the mayor on certain issues such as education," said Smikle. "Voters want that balance to moderate both leaders."
