Sen. Charles Schumer's approval rating is at a 10-year low -- falling below 50 percent at a time when Democratic incumbents nationally are on the ropes.The share of voters who believe Schumer, the state's senior senator, is doing an "excellent" or "good" job is now 47 percent -- putting him below the magic measure of 50 percent, according to a Marist College Polling Institute survey released yesterday.
And his "fair" and "poor" ratings are 31 percent and 17 percent, respectively -- a combined 48 percent.
The last time his favorable number was below 50 percent was in April 2001, when it was 49 percent. He was at 39 percent in March 2000 -- a time when he was relatively new to office after his November 1998 election.
Schumer's numbers in Marist have generally been in the mid- to high- 50s for the past decade.
"These are tough times and polls go up and down, but the last time the senator's numbers were in this vicinity was in September 2004, two months before the voters overwhelmingly re-elected him," said Schumer spokesman Joshua Vlasto.
The Post's Knickerbocker blog first reported two weeks ago that Schumer's numbers were on a downslide.
The weak poll numbers come as the senator has cast his eye toward Washington and become an increasingly partisan Democratic figure. That's left him without a firewall against the national wave of anti-Democratic sentiment.
Schumer's biggest drop comes in New York City, where the majority of the Democratic primary electorate resides. He went from 57 percent in the city two weeks ago to 51 percent now. He was at 64 percent in November.
Schumer is widely considered near-invulnerable in his re-election bid this year. His only challenger at the moment is CNBC pundit Larry Kudlow, and their head-to-head poll numbers are 67 percent for Schumer to 25 percent for Kudlow.
But Schumer could get dinged up during a political year in which no Democratic incumbent is considered safe.
And several sources said Schumer has been anxiously watching his own numbers, especially after the shocking loss by Democrat Martha Coakley in the Massachusetts special election for the Senate.
"Senator Schumer is not immune from the anti-incumbent sentiment among voters, but it would take a major effort to unseat him," says Marist pollster Lee Miringoff.