POUGHKEEPSIE – Democratic Senator Charles Schumer’s once rock solid approval rating has taken a slide.  For the first time in nearly nine years, Schumer’s approval rating has fallen below 50 percent. According to the latest poll by Poughkeepsie-based Marist College, 47 percent of registered voters statewide report Schumer is doing either an excellent or good job in office.  31 percent rate the job he is doing as fair, and 17 percent view him as performing poorly. 

This is Schumer’s lowest job approval rating since April 2001 when 49 percent of voters approved of the job he was doing.

The approval rating of New York’s senior senator has declined over the past couple of months. In Marist’s last survey on January 15th, 51 percent said Schumer was doing an above average job.  In November, he received a thumbs-up from 54 percent of registered voters in New York, and just last September, his approval rating was 58 percent.

Schumer’s decline is most pronounced in New York City.  51 percent of New York City voters currently give Schumer high marks while 57 percent did the same two weeks ago, 64 percent in November, and 66 percent in September.

“Senator Schumer is not immune from the anti-incumbent sentiment among voters, but it would take a major effort to unseat him,” says Dr. Lee Miringoff, director of The Marist Institute for Public Opinion.

This is not, however,  Schumer’s lowest approval rating.  That occurred in March 2000 when The Marist Poll found only 39 percent of registered voters statewide gave Schumer good grades.