Three women have accused New York Governor Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment in the last week — leading some members of his party to call for an independent investigation into his behavior or his resignation from office. The story has gained significant attention in recent days, according to new YouGov data, with a third accuser coming forward on Monday.
A former aide, Lindsey Boylan, said Cuomo kissed her without consent in his office in 2018. Another former staffer, Charlotte Bennett, said the Democrat asked her questions about her personal life and told her he was open to dating younger women in 2020. The third woman, Anna Ruch, told told The New York Times that she met the Governor at a wedding reception in 2018, where he put his hands on her face and asked if he could kiss her. Cuomo has denied kissing Boylan, but apologized if his other actions had “been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation.”
Four in five Americans (79%) have heard about the sexual harassment claims against Governor Cuomo by former aides. The poll was conducted March 1-2, which overlapped with Ruch’s story coming out. One-third of Americans (32%) have heard “a lot” about the accusations, while half (47%) have heard a little about it. Just one in five (21%) say they have not heard anything about it.
The accusations are well-known across political parties. Democrats (85%) are slightly more likely than Republicans (80%) and Independents (78%) to have heard about the accusations overall, but Republicans are more likely to have heard a lot about the story (44% vs 32% of Democrats).
See the toplines from this YouGov poll
Related: Andrew Cuomo’s ratings have plummeted over the last year
Methodology: 5,719 US adults were asked, “How much, if anything, have you heard about sexual harassment claims against New York Governor Andrew Cuomo by two female former aides?” Response options: “A lot,” “A little,” or “Nothing at all.” The survey was conducted between March 1 - 2, 2021. The responding sample is weighted to be representative of the US population.
Image: Getty
