Chuck Schumer, one of the few Senate Democrats to oppose the Iran nuclear deal, has fallen to his lowest approval rating in a decade in New York, according to a new poll.
New York state voters approve of the job the Democrat is doing in the Senate 54% to 32%, the lowest his approval has been since May 2000, when it was at 52% to 18%, according to the Quinnipiac University poll out Tuesday morning.
In Quinnipiac’s polling Schumer’s approval rating has mostly been in the high 50s or low 60s with disapproval in the 20s since that low-water mark.
But Schumer — who is expected to take over as the top Democrat in the Senate next term after current Minority Leader Harry Reid retires — isn’t suffering for his decision to oppose the President’s nuclear deal with Iran, according to the poll.
Schumer was the first Senate Democrat to split with the President on the deal, and one of only four who ultimately did so.
New York voters oppose the deal 59% to 32%, and Schumer’s opposition to the deal made them slightly more likely to vote for him. Twenty-four percent said the position makes them more likely to support Schumer, 17% less, but the majority, 55%, said it wouldn’t affect their vote. Voters support his reelection 56% to 34%.
Schumer’s approval is similar to President Barack Obama’s in the state, where voters approve of the President 51% to 46%.
The junior senator from New York, Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand had a 49% to 25% approval.
Quinnipiac surveyed 1,366 New York state voters from Sept. 10 to 15 for the poll, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.7 percentage points.