A staggering loss of popularity for NY Gov. Paterson: New poll suggests Giuliani would crush him

The Siena poll out of New York, has some eye opening numbers for State Democrats. Governor David Paterson has seen his popularity shrink dramatically in the last few months:

David Paterson is now viewed unfavorably by twice as many New York voters as those who view him favorably...

Paterson is viewed favorably by 29 percent of voters and unfavorably by 58 percent, down from last month‟s 40-47 percent rating. His job performance rating is 19 percent positive, 78 percent negative down from 28-69 percent last month. Only 14 percent of voters are prepared to elect Paterson as Governor in 2010, compared to 67 percent who prefer “someone else.” That‟s down from 19-57 percent last month.

Siena goes on to report that:

If a Democratic primary for Governor were held today, Paterson would lose to Attorney General Andrew Cuomo by nearly four-to-one, and Paterson would be easily beaten in a general election by former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Side note - The polling data also showed that if Republican George Pataki were to run against Democrat Kristen Gilibrand for US Senate, it would be a dead heat, 42 to 42.