The new Siena poll: Trouble for Paterson, support for higher taxes

Siena Research Institute released a new poll today which can be read as sort of a mid-term report card on New York state politics.

The next big election is in November 2010 (setting aside for the moment the current NY 20 special election) and the clock is ticking fast.

Here are some takeaways:

1. Governor Paterson’s numbers stink. His approval ratings across the board continue to sag. 52% of New Yorkers say the state is going the wrong direction. 29% say they have a favorable opinion of Paterson. 67% say they would prefer a new governor in 2010.

2. Cutting government jobs and services is a dangerous business for politicians, especially in pork-heavy New York state. When asked how they would prefer to deal with the state’s fiscal crisis, only 38% supported Paterson’s plan to use Federal stimulus money and cuts to balance the budget. 56% — including nearly half of the Republicans polled — wanted higher taxes on people earning more than $250k.

3. The most popular politicians statewide in New York are a) Barack Obama, B) Andrew Cuomo, C) Rudy Giuliani, and D) George Pataki.

4. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand still has pretty awful approval ratings, but that’s mostly because so few New Yorkers know enough about her to have an opinion. Most of the statewide politicians on Siena’s list track “Don’t know/no opinion” numbers around 10%. Gillibrand’s anonymity rating stands at a whopping 54%.

Lots more to see at Siena’s website here.