Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s job approval has fallen to 54 percent – the lowest point since he took office in 2011 – but broad support for his agenda remains among New Yorkers, a Siena College poll released this morning found.

Cuomo’s favorability rating is down from 67 percent in February to 64 percent, while 37 percent of voters say at this point they would prefer a generic “someone else” against the governor for re-election in 2014.

If anything, the poll affirms that Cuomo spent considerable political capital on forcing the gun control law through the Legislature. His approval appears to have taken its toughest hit among Republican and small “c” conservative voters.

While Cuomo once enjoyed strong across-the-board approval from GOP voters, the poll today shows he is coming back down to earth for a Democratic official.

He now is seen favorably by 50 percent of enrolled Republicans, while 55 percent of self-identified conservatives have an unfavorable view, according to the crosstabs that appear below.

However, 80 percent of liberals and 68 percent of moderates continue to give the governor high marks.

Making things a bit contradictory, however, is this: The drop in favorability, job performance and re-election ratings can’t precisely be blamed on Republicans.

Cuomo’s numbers on those issues are actually up among Republicans this month compared to last month.

“The fall this month is due to some slippage among Democrats and independents,” said Siena poll spokesman Steve Greenberg.

“He also slipped among New York City and upstate voters, while gaining a little ground with suburban voters.”

Still, most New York voters polled in this very blue state continue to back the governor’s third year agenda of stricter gun control, increasing the hourly minimum wage and enhancing abortion and reproductive rights for women.

Support remains for the SAFE Act, which was passed in January and updated the state’s assault weapons ban and limited the number of rounds in a magazine from 10 to seven.

The law has become a flashpoint for gun-rights advocates across the country in the wake of the Connecticut school shooting that killed 26 people late last year – including 20 children.

The measure has been the subject of several pro-gun rights rallies at the Capitol and a handful of Republican lawmakers in the Senate are pushing for “repeal and replacement” of the law’s key provisions.

Also, a steady stream of local governments – all of them upstate – have passed resolutions calling for Albany to ditch, or at least rework, the new gun law.

Despite all this upheaval, the SAFE Act remains popular with New Yorkers, according to Siena’s numbers. Sixty-one percent of those surveyed say they back the law, down from 65 percent last month.

Repeal of the law is opposed by a margin of 56 percent to 40 percent.

On the issues that are yet to be locked down in Albany, voters survey back campaign finance reform, as well loosening drug laws for small amounts of marijuana.

As usual, there is strong support for increasing the state’s minimum wage. More than three-quarters of voters back an increase to $9 an hour, up from the current $7.25.

But it is Cuomo’s push for a version of the Reproductive Health Act – a measure to strengthen abortion rights in New York that he has yet to introduce – that has the most support.

Voters back the measure, which supporters say merely codifies Roe v. Wade at the state level, but opponents call an expansion into late-term abortion – by a margin of 80 percent to 16 percent.

“When asked to describe themselves as generally ‘pro-life’ or ‘pro-choice’ on the issue of abortion, 66 percent of New York voters describe themselves as pro-choice – including more than two-thirds of Democrats and independents and a majority of Republicans – compared to 27 percent who describe themselves as pro-life,” Greenberg said.

Not helping the governor make a decision on the controversial natural gas extraction process hydrofracking, New Yorkers continue to be split on the issue.

Last month’s Siena poll found a 40-40 tie on the issue, while now 43 percent oppose allowing the method and 39 support support it.

The survey of 803 registered New York voters was conducted between March 3 and 7. It has a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points.

Cuomo Charts March 2013 by Nick Reisman

SNY0313 Crosstabs by Nick Reisman

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