NY: Governor Paterson Improves Job Approval Rating/ has Surgery

From the Frontrunner The Schenectady Gazette (5/19) reported a Siena Research Institute poll of 622 registered voters conducted last week (+/- 3.9%) found Gov. Paterson has a 40% job approval rating, up from 34% in April. Paterson "was viewed favorably by 48% of voters surveyed, the same support he received in April." His unfavorable rating "improved...from 18% in April to 17% in May, while those without an opinion climbed from 34% to 35%." In a hypothetical head-to-head match with Mayor Bloomberg, Paterson "closed the gap from a 48% to 34% deficit in April to 45% to 36% in the latest survey." Meanwhile, Paterson widened his lead over Attorney General Andrew Cuomo from 35-30% in April to 42-29% this month.

Paterson has Surgery
NY Times Gov. David A. Paterson underwent surgery on Tuesday to relieve sharp pain that doctors determined was caused by glaucoma. Though the governor is legally blind — he can see nothing out of his left eye and barely enough out of his right eye to make out large objects and see colors — his doctor said the glaucoma was unrelated to his blindness. Mr. Paterson left the hospital around 4 p.m. and returned to his home in Harlem to rest. His doctor, John Danias, said at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon that the governor should be able to resume normal activity on Wednesday.