Paladino breathes down Cuomo’s neck

A shocking new poll out this morning has Republican contender for New York Governor Carl Paladino only six percentage points behind Democratic frontrunner Andrew Cuomo. That’s the slimmest margin yet between the two rivals.

Attorney General Cuomo has a meager 49% to 43% lead over Paladino, according to a Quinnipiac poll. Paladino is an upstate millionaire who swept to shocking victory last week in the GOP primary over Rick Lazio.

“The question was whether Carl Paladino would get a bounce from his big Republican
primary victory. The answer is yes,” said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. “He’s within shouting distance and – you can count on it – he
will be shouting.”

Cuomo, son of three-term New York Governor Mario Cuomo, entered the governor’s race months ago as the presumed winner. But he may now be a victim of his own success, said Carroll.

“Politicians and
polls have depicted him so relentlessly as a sure thing that he might be a victim of the ‘throw the
bums out’ attitude that hits incumbents in this angry year,” said Carroll.