New York Attorney General Letitia James is seeing her once-comfortable lead shrink as Republican challenger Saritha Komatireddy gains ground in the final stretch of the race.
A new Siena University poll released Wednesday shows James leading Komatireddy 52% to 39% among likely voters, a 13-point advantage.
That is down from an 18-point lead in August, when James was ahead 54% to 36%.
The five-point narrowing is notable, but Siena’s roughly four-point margin of error means the movement should be interpreted cautiously rather than as proof of a major shift.
Komatireddy, a former federal prosecutor and Harvard Law graduate, remains largely unknown to voters.
More than two-thirds of likely voters told Siena they either had never heard of her or did not know enough about her to form an opinion.
That low name recognition remains one of the Republican’s biggest hurdles with Election Day approaching, even as the latest numbers show her cutting into James’ advantage.
James’ favorability rating stands at 51% favorable and 40% unfavorable, while Komatireddy’s is 17% favorable and 12% unfavorable.
Both candidates are receiving support from more than 80% of voters in their respective parties, while independents are closely divided, leaning 43% to 40% toward James.
James still holds a commanding advantage in New York City, leading 62% to 26%, but that margin is considerably smaller than the 71% to 20% lead she held there in August.
She also continues to hold narrower leads in the downstate suburbs and upstate.
Komatireddy has tried to make crime, public safety and government accountability central issues in the race, while James has defended her record as the state’s top law enforcement officer.
The contest has also unfolded against the backdrop of James’ long-running legal battles with President Donald Trump.
Letitia James‘ office brought the civil fraud case against Trump and his companies that resulted in a massive financial penalty before a state appeals court later vacated the monetary award while leaving the underlying fraud findings intact.
The Republican challenger has also attacked James over Medicaid fraud enforcement and other state oversight issues.
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Meanwhile, Republicans are showing some movement elsewhere on the statewide ballot.
In the governor’s race, Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul leads Republican Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman 50% to 41% in the same Siena poll.
That margin is little changed from August, when Hochul led 49% to 39%.
The attorney general race, however, has moved more noticeably over the past month.
James remains ahead by double digits, but Komatireddy has narrowed the gap despite still being unfamiliar to much of the electorate.
With only weeks remaining before Election Day, the next challenge for the Republican will be turning increased support into broader name recognition across the state.
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[ H/T Trending Politics ]
