Republican Bruce Blakeman has moved to within nine percentage points of Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul in the race for New York governor, according to a new Siena University poll of likely voters released Wednesday, with six weeks remaining before the Nov. 3 election.

The survey puts Hochul at 50% and Blakeman at 41%, compared with a 49%-39% margin in Siena’s August poll. The results show a considerably smaller gap than Siena measured at roughly the same stage of the 2022 governor’s race.

“At this time four years ago, Hochul led Lee Zeldin by 17 points, 54%-37%, before going on to win by six points,” said Siena pollster Steven Greenberg.

Blakeman has gained one percentage point since last month’s Siena survey, while Hochul has also gained one point. The latest results leave the Republican with ground to make up as the campaign enters its final stretch.

Hochul’s personal and job-performance numbers remain closely divided. The Siena poll found that 48% of likely voters view her favorably, while 46% view her unfavorably. Her job approval rating stands at 48%, with 47% disapproving.

Blakeman continues to be less familiar to many voters. His favorability rating is 35%, while 34% view him unfavorably, leaving nearly one-third of likely voters without a favorable or unfavorable opinion of the Nassau County executive.

The survey also found substantial dissatisfaction with the direction of both New York and the country. Just 38% said New York is on the right track, compared with 49% who believe the state is headed in the wrong direction. Nationally, 28% said the United States is moving in the right direction, while 66% said it is headed the wrong way.

“With six weeks until election day, voters offer good news to both Hochul and Blakeman. She now has the support of 50% of voters and saw her favorability and job approval ratings edge into positive territory. He now trails by single digits — well, nine points — in a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans by more than two-to-one,” Greenberg said.

The poll found Hochul with modest advantages when voters were asked which candidate would better handle several major issues.

On affordability, 49% chose Hochul as better equipped to make prices more affordable, compared with 40% who selected Blakeman. On public safety, Hochul held a 49%-43% advantage, while voters preferred her by 47%-43% when asked about addressing undocumented immigrants living in New York.

The poll also examined how endorsements from President Trump and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani are being received by likely voters.

“About half of likely voters think Trump endorsing Blakeman is a negative for Blakeman’s campaign, including 69% of Democrats, 49% of independents and 24% of Republicans,” Greenberg said. “On the other side, half of voters think Mamdani’s endorsement of Hochul will be a positive for her campaign, including 72% of Democrats, 40% of independents, a plurality, and 22% of Republicans.”

Overall, 51% said President Trump’s endorsement would have a negative effect on Blakeman’s campaign, while 30% viewed it positively. Mamdani’s endorsement of Hochul was viewed as positive by 50% and negative by 30%. Those figures reflect voters’ perceptions of the endorsements rather than a measurement of their actual effect on voting behavior.

The two campaigns have sought to capitalize on those political associations. Hochul has spent heavily on advertising linking Blakeman to President Trump, while Blakeman and Republicans have sought to connect Hochul with Mamdani.

The Siena survey also asked likely voters who they expect to prevail in November. While 50% currently support Hochul, 66% said they expect her to win, including 37% of Republicans. That finding measures voter expectations and is not a forecast of the election result.

Geographically, Hochul’s largest advantage comes from New York City, where she leads Blakeman 61%-27%. The race is much closer elsewhere in the state. Hochul has a 48%-46% edge in the downstate suburbs, while Blakeman leads 47%-44% among upstate voters.

Those numbers underscore the different regional coalitions behind the two candidates. Blakeman, who serves as Nassau County executive, is competitive in the suburban and upstate portions of the electorate, while Hochul’s New York City support accounts for a substantial portion of her statewide advantage.

Other polls released by Republican-aligned groups have reported smaller margins. A Blakeman campaign poll released earlier this month put Hochul ahead 50%-46%, while a survey conducted for the pro-Blakeman Strong and Safe Super PAC had Hochul leading 47%-43%. Another survey from co/efficient for the pro-Blakeman Coalition to Protect Nassau Taxpayers showed Hochul ahead 47%-41%. Those surveys were commissioned by organizations supporting Blakeman and therefore differ from the independently conducted Siena poll.

Siena conducted its latest survey from Sept. 11 through Sept. 17 among 1,144 likely New York voters, using live landline and cellphone interviews as well as text-to-web responses. The portion of the survey involving the core questions has an overall margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.