New Yorkers Expect Another Kennedy for the Senate

With two legendary political names—Kennedy and Cuomo—in play, New Yorkers are weighing in on the question of who New York Gov. David Paterson should select for the Senate seat being vacated by Hillary Clinton.

New York state voters by a considerable margin expect Paterson will chose Caroline Kennedy, but they are split 41-40 percent on whether she is qualified to be a U.S. senator, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday.

Offered a choice, 33 percent of voters say Paterson should name Kennedy, while 29 percent say New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo should get the nod. That's hardly a mandate either way. And another 4 percent pick Albany-area U.S. Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand, while 24 percent want someone else. Ten percent are undecided, the independent Quinnipiac University poll finds.

Democrats line up behind the daughter of a famous former Democratic president more than for the son of a popular former Democratic New York governor.

According to the poll, Kennedy leads Cuomo, 42-27, among New York City voters and ties Cuomo, 30-30, percent among suburban voters, while Cuomo leads, 31-27, among upstate voters. Men back Kennedy over Cuomo, 32-27, while women back her, 33-31.

Republicans prefer Cuomo, 33-20, while Democrats back Kennedy, 41-27, and independent voters back Cuomo, 33-30, the poll finds.

"Will we get another Kennedy in the Senate? Only Gov. David Paterson knows for sure. Among New Yorkers in general, Caroline Kennedy's grade is just OK," Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, says in a statement accompanying the poll results.

"Ask the question two ways: Should the governor appoint Ms. Kennedy? New Yorkers give her a narrow lead over Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. Will he appoint her? Heavily, the answer is 'yes.' "

"Kennedy does best in heavily Democratic New York City, while Cuomo leads upstate. When offered a choice between two legendary Democratic names, Republicans would rather have a Cuomo than a Kennedy."

From December 17-21, Quinnipiac University surveyed 834 New York State registered voters, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.

The full results of the poll are available here.

• Read more about Caroline Kennedy.