More than 60% of registered voters in New York believe Gov. Andrew Cuomo did something wrong in handling nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the latest Marist College poll.

However, out of this group, only 19% believe he did something illegal. Cuomo’s job performance approval also took a sizable hit amid the ongoing controversy surrounding nursing homes and the administration's dislcosure of fatality data at the facilities. 

The Marist poll surveyed 813 voters between February 15 and February 17 and has a margin of error of 4.1 percentage points. 

The poll found 49% of New Yorkers approve of Cuomo’s job performance. This is down from 66% approval in July. 

Also of note, Cuomo’s job performance took a dip among Democrats: 28% of Democrats disapprove of how Cuomo is doing his job compared with 9% last summer. 

Additionally, Cuomo suffered a drop in voters believing he should be re-elected. The poll found 36% of registered voters, compared with 39% in April 2018, believe Cuomo deserves to be re-elected. 

Overall, 54% of New Yorkers approve of how Cuomo is handling the coronavirus pandemic. This is down from 72% in July 2020. 

The Marist Poll notes that Cuomo’s approval declines “across the board.” Half of voters have a favorable view of Cuomo compared to 54% in 2018. 

“Cuomo’s approval rating, which was sky high in the summer, has returned to its pre-pandemic level,” said Marist College pollster Lee Miringoff. “Should Cuomo decide to seek a fourth term, these results suggest it will be a challenge. That said, his current numbers are comparable to what they were when he faced the voters last time.”  

Morning Consult also came out with a poll on Monday that was a little more favorable to the governor.

According to the Morning Consult poll, 57% of New York voters approve of Cuomo’s job performance, still down 6 points after it was reported that one of his top aides admitted that the state intentionally withheld the number of COVID-19-related nursing home resident deaths. 

This poll also has Cuomo trending high among Democrats with 81% approving of him. That poll surveyed 3,000 registered voters and has a two percentage point margin of error. 

"Yesterday's Morning Consult poll of over 3,000 people had the Governor's approval rating at 57%. The numbers between the various surveys always vary and we remain focused on fighting this pandemic, administering as many vaccines as possible, and safely and smartly reopening our state for all New Yorkers," said Rich Azzopardi, a senior advisor to Cuomo.