New York Gov. Kathy Hochul saw an improvement in her favorability and job approval last month and strong support for her top-line policy items in the still unfinished state budget, according to a Siena College poll of registered New York voters released Tuesday.

The governor has a favorability rating of 44-43%, up from 40-50% in March, and voters approve of the job Hochul is doing 48%-45%, according to the poll. Also improved from last month is her reelection stance with a year and a half until she’s set to face voters for a second full term, with 39% of voters prepared to reelect her, while 48% want someone else.

“For the first time since January 2024, Hochul has a positive – barely – favorability rating, and for the first time since February 2024, a plurality of voters approves of the job she is doing as governor,” Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg said in a statement. “On her favorability rating, Hochul improved a little with Democrats and Republicans and the most with independents. On her job approval rating, she lost a few points among Democrats, improved with independents and picked up the most ground with Republicans, with whom she remains strongly under water. On both ratings, Hochul improved most among upstate and women voters.”

Also on Tuesday, state lawmakers return to Albany to continue negotiations on the state budget, which is now three weeks late. The poll found strong support for the governor’s biggest policy items — 61-19% support restricting student cellphone use in schools, 64-24% support making it a crime to wear a mask to conceal identity while threatening someone, 43-24% support amending the state’s discovery laws and 45-31% support making it easier to involuntarily commit someone with mental illness.

“Now, here’s something you don’t see every day in the modern political world. On four policy proposals that Hochul has said must be part of the final budget, there is strong bipartisan agreement, with widespread support among Democrats, Republicans and independents for each,” Greenberg said. “At the same time, half of voters say that they are aware that the state budget has not yet passed and is late. And more than two-thirds of voters say they are very (31%) or somewhat (41%) concerned that the budget has not yet passed.”

Greenberg also said a majority of those who support discovery changes said Hochul was right to hold up the budget for that issue, while pluralities of those who support cell phone restrictions and involuntary commitment thought the same. A plurality of mask ban supporters said it’s not worth a late budget.

When it comes to her reelection prospects, the poll found Hochul continues to hold a large lead over several potential primary challengers, holding 44% support among registered Democrats compared to 12% for Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado and 9% for U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres. On the Republican side, a hypothetical candidacy of Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman leads U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler 28-22% among Republicans. This poll did not include U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik as a potential candidate.

On the federal level, President Donald Trump has a favorability rating of 40-55% in New York, the poll found, which is up slightly from March. His overall job approval rating is about the same. Voters are closely divided on Trump’s effort to make the federal government more efficient, at 48-49%, and between 52% and 55% of voters disapprove of the job Trump is doing on reducing cost of living, improving the nation’s economy, and enhancing America’s reputation abroad, according to the poll.

“A majority of Republicans supports both tariff proposals, and a plurality supports [Department of Justice] investigations of Trump critics and laying off tens of thousands of workers. However, a plurality of Republicans joins 76% of Democrats and 56% of independents in opposing cuts to states, including New York, in federal funding,” Greenberg said.

In Congress, the poll found New York’s Chuck Schumer, the U.S. Senate minority leader, had the worst favorability rating in a Siena College poll dating back 20 years, at 39-49%.

“A first in a Siena College poll: Schumer is 10 points underwater, with a plurality of voters viewing him unfavorably. While he continues to be viewed unfavorably by more than two-thirds of Republicans and a majority of independents, Schumer saw his standing with Democrats, particularly liberals, fall dramatically,” Greenberg said. “Democrats view Schumer favorably 52-38%, down from 68-23%, and he’s still viewed favorably by a plurality of liberals, 47-41%, but that’s down from 68-21%. New York City voters are barely favorable, 47-44%.

U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, which some have pushed to perhaps primary challenge Schumer in 2028, had a statewide favorability rating of 47-33%, up from 38-39%, the last time Siena College asked about her statewide in January 2021.

“Among eight elected officials and each house of the State Legislature, AOC has the best favorability rating. She is viewed favorably by 64% of Democrats – more than Hochul or Schumer – and she is viewed unfavorably by 60% of Republicans. Independents are evenly divided 39-39%,” Greenberg said. “While Schumer’s fifth term runs through 2028, Ocasio-Cortez has established herself as a New York Democrat to watch.”

The Siena College poll was conducted April 14-16 among 802 New York state registered voters. It has an overall margin of error of +/- 4.4 percentage points.