Morgan McKay is reporting for State of Politics Governor Kathy Hochul's approval rate has shot up 18 percentage points after 50 days in office, according to a new Marist Poll released October 12. Hochul now has a 49 percent approval rating, but at the same time, 20 percent of New York residents say they are not sure about the job she is doing. The majority of New Yorkers polled, or 77 percent, do not want former Governor Andrew Cuomo to run for office again, including 74 percent of Democrats. The poll also matched up Hochul in two hypothetical Democratic primaries and in each one, Hochul led the 2022 race. In a three-way race with Attorney General Letitia James and New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Hochul received 44 percent of the vote compared to 28 percent for James and 15 percent for Williams, while 13 percent said they are unsure. With Cuomo in the race, Hochul would lead with 36 percent of the vote, James with 24 percent, Cuomo at 19 percent, Williams with 9 percent and 12 percent of those polled were unsure. Both James and Williams have yet to officially declare they are running. The poll also showed that New Yorkers have a negative view of the current direction of the state. A total of 54 percent say the state is going in the wrong direction and 39 percent say it is going in the right direction. Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.