There’s more evidence that the presidential race may affect which party will control the state Senate.
Currently, the GOP is holding on, with the help of one Democrat who meets with them.
But a new Siena College poll finds that nearly two-thirds of voters think that Donald Trump at the top of the ticket will not help Republicans hold on to the Senate, and Hillary Clinton as the Democratic candidate will actually help Democrats regain the Senate, said Siena spokesman Steve Greenberg.
“This is a sentiment; this is not a look at a particular Senate district,” said Greenberg, who said the poll shows there are a “sizable number” of Republican voters who are concerned about Trump at the top of the GOP ticket.
“They don’t want to support him and are not sure whether they are going to come out and vote or not,” Greenberg said.
The politics of the Senate are far more complicated than just Democrats versus Republicans, though. Five senators meet in their own group, the Independent Democratic Conference. They have formed a coalition with Republicans in the past and have not promised that they’d necessarily rejoin with the other Democrats after elections.
The poll also looked at the race for U.S. Senate, and finds Sen. Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, continues to be very popular, even among some Republicans, with a nearly 40-point lead over his challenger, Republican Wendy Long.
“We’re less than 12 weeks to Election Day, and it appears that Chuck Schumer is coasting to an easy re-election to a fourth term,” said Greenberg.
Schumer is also likely to be the next Senate majority leader, should Democrats regain control of that house.