Most New Yorkers want Cuomo to resign over sexual harassment, poll finds

[August 05, 2021]    NEW YORK (Reuters) -Some 59% of New Yorkers think Governor Andrew Cuomo should resign after an investigation found that he groped, kissed or made suggestive comments to 11 women in violation of U.S. and state law, a Marist Poll showed on Wednesday.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo speaks while making an announcement at a news conference from the stage at Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S., May 17, 2021. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo

After state Attorney General Letitia James unveiled the five-month independent investigation's conclusions on Tuesday , the Democratic governor said in a video statement  he has no plans to resign and denied he had acted inappropriately.

The poll of 614 randomly selected New York state adults was conducted by landline or mobile phone on Tuesday and survey questions were available in English or Spanish, Marist said. It found that 59% said the governor should resign in light of the findings, 32% said he should serve out his term and 9% said they were unsure.

Among New York Democrats, 52% said he should resign, 41% said he should not and 8% were unsure, while 77% of Republicans said he should quit, 16% said he should stay and 7% were unsure.

The poll also found that 44% of respondents said Cuomo did something illegal, 29% said he did something unethical but not illegal, 7% concluded he did nothing wrong, 6% had not heard enough about the allegations and 13% were unsure.

(Reporting by Barbara Goldberg; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Will Dunham)

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