Poll: Amazon loss irks many New Yorkers
ALBANY, N.Y. — Most voters in New York think it was bad for the state when Amazon dropped plans to put a second headquarters in Queens and many think U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-cortez bears blame for the deal falling through, according to a new poll released Monday.
The Siena College poll of registered voters in New York state found that 67 percent of those surveyed said the internet retailer’s decision last month was detrimental to New York. Sixty-one percent support the state and city again offering Amazon up to $3 billion in incentives to create 25,000 jobs if the internet giant reconsiders.
Among those leading the charge against Amazon was Ocasio-cortez, who represents parts of the Bronx and Queens. When asked if several key players in the Amazon situation were a hero, villain or role player, 38 percent of poll responders said Ocasio-cortez was a villain, compared with 12 percent who call her a hero and 24 percent who considered her a role player.
Corbin Trent, a spokesman for Ocasio-cortez, declined to comment on the poll.
Queens activists were deemed the villain by 34 percent. Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio, fellow Democrats who brokered the Amazon deal, came in at 28 percent and 29 percent, respectively, followed by Amazon itself (26 percent), the Democrat-controlled state Senate (21 percent) and labor unions (17 percent).
Speaking on WAMC radio Monday morning, Cuomo said he’s not surprised by the poll’s finding that most New Yorkers believe the collapse of the deal was bad for the state. “Nothing that I didn’t know,” he said.
While Cuomo said he’s trying to get Amazon to reconsider, he isn’t optimistic.
“The horse is out of the barn,” he said.