NEW YORK CITY — Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s lackluster job leading the MTA has sent his approval ratings into the tank, a new poll found.
New Yorkers gave the governor a "C" grade for his attempt to patch up the transit system, after he tried to dodge responsibility for the MTA amid a series of trail derailments and widespread subway failures, the Quinnipiac University poll showed.
► READ MORE: Subway Riders Direct Rage at Gov. Cuomo After Train Derailment
Cuomo’s overall approval rating by state residents had dropped to 46 percent as of early July — only three points above his lowest rating ever recorded by Quinnipiac pollsters in September 2015, the study found.
His rating was actually higher among city residents, 52 percent of whom approved of the job he was doing in the latest poll.
Regarding the subway system, city and state residents only approved of the governor's job by 28 and 26 percent, respectively.
Cuomo previously shifted blame to the city for the ailing subway system, saying it needs to "make up for" 40 years of underfunding the MTA.
He later declared a state of emergency for the system to expedite processes for approving a budget for MTA restoration projects.
“Gov. Andrew Cuomo is hurting in Albany and New Yorkers say he should fuhgeddabout Washington,” said Maurice Carroll, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University poll, referring to Cuomo’s not-so-secret interest in entering the 2020 presidential race.
Fifty-five percent of state voters thought Cuomo should leave his presidential ambitions behind, while 54 percent believed he should challenge the Trump Administration with a different national leadership position, the poll found.
