‘Crazed’ Cuomo in a panic over polls

GOV. Cuomo, “crazed with anger” and increasingly abusive to those around him, fears the first round of public polling since the “Morel and gate” scandal will take a major toll on his — untilnow — skyhigh popularity, administration insiders say. He won’t have long to wait. A poll designed to gauge the scandal’s impact will be released this week by the Marist Institute of Public Opinion and it could have a major impact on Cuomo’s race against Republican Rob Astorino and on his Democratic primary battle with Zephyr Teachout, a Fordham law professor.

Administration insiders, aware of private polling data already collected by Cuomo’s campaign, say the public poll likely will show the governor’s approval rating plummeting.

“The bad news is starting to stick. This is very serious,’’ a senior Cuomo administration figure nervously told The Post.

A second source close to Cuomo said, “We know the governor is damaged. The only question is how badly.’’

Cuomo fears a drop in the polls will trigger an influx of funds and other aid to Astorino’s cashstarved campaign and boost momentum for Teachout’s challenge.

Sources described Cuomo, who has “lawyered up’’ in the face of an ongoing criminal investigation by

The bad news is starting to stick.

Southern District US Attorney Preet Bharara, as angry at his staff and furious at himself — especially over last week’s mishandling of what was supposed to be a carefully prepared counteroffensive against the scandal.

“Andrew tried to be too cute by half. He was going to orchestrate a response to the scandal to show there’s really no scandal there, but instead, he may have been involved in a federal crime,’’ said a longtime Cuomo associate, referring to Bharara’s warning to Cuomo last week that he could be guilty of interfering with federal witnesses. “Now he’s crazed with anger, and he’s taking it out on a lot of people around him.”

Cuomo’s mood was further inflamed when Teachout’s name was placed over the governor’s on

— Senior Cuomo administration figure on fears that the Moreland scandal will sink the governor in publicopinion polls and give a boost to his opponents

the primary ballot late last week by the state Board of Elections.

Cuomo sharply stepped up his campaign advertisements in recent days in hopes of bolstering his popularity as he seeks to lay the “corrupt’’ label on Astorino — a difficult argument since the governor is at the center of one of the worst ethics scandals in recent years.

He’s also engaged in a politically risky effort to knock Teachout off the ballot, contending she doesn’t meet the state’s fiveyear residency requirement.

Should Cuomo lose to Teachout in court, she’ll likely pick up even more momentum.

Meanwhile, one of the state’s most influential Democratic consultants noted how few Democrats were publicly backing Cuomo over the scandal — in contrast with how many Republicans defended a nearby governor in the face of an ethics probe.

“When [NJ Gov. Chris] Christie first had ‘Bridgegate,’ a lot of national Republicans defended him, Mitt Romney chief among them,” the consultant said. “But Democrats don’t want to touch this with a 10foot pole and that’s because the chickens are coming home to roost for Cuomo.

“He never lifted a finger for the Democratic Party, including President Obama, so no one feels the need to defend him one iota,” the consultant continued.

Mayor de Blasio has expressed his confidence in Cuomo, and, not surprisingly, former Gov. Mario Cuomo has weighed in on his son’s behalf.

Christie, head of the Republican Governors Association, is still refusing to provide financial or other assistance to Astorino’s campaign, despite Cuomo’s worsening ethics scandal.

And so is the Christiecontrolled RGA, whose massive expenditures and sophisticated Web site provide support for GOP gubernatorial candidates across the nation — except in New York. Top RGA staffers repeatedly refused to explain the glaring omission.

“Christie stabbing Astorino in the back irks every GOP voter in New York,’’ Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin (RRensselaer), a key Astorino backer, said Sunday.

Astorino, his aides and even many Democrats believe Christie, mired in the Bridgegate scandal, has a peace pact with Cuomo under which neither will criticize the other.