Poll Tracker

Gillibrand's margin over another potential challenger, Republican Rep. Peter T. King, also shrunk -- 42 percent to 31 percent.

In March, Gillibrand's lead was 49 percent to 28 percent.

In a hypothetical primary match-up with Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, voters were split, with 36 percent supporting, 31 percent supporting Maloney and 33 percent unsure.

New Yorkers surveyed were far clearer in their opinions of another state Democrat - Gov. David A. Paterson.

Seventy-seven percent of registered voters polled by Marist rated Paterson's job performance as fair or poor, with only 19 percent giving him excellent or good marks.

That's a new low for Paterson, whose approval ratings have plummeted in 2009. Voters believe Paterson is well-meaning - 66 percent said he was working hard and 47 percent said he understood the problems facing the state - but only 28 percent agreed that he is a good leader, while just 23 percent approved of his handling of the economic crisis.

That in turn has lead to a bleak outlook for Paterson's re-election efforts in 2010. In the latest poll, the governor trails Republican and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani 32 percent to 56 percent. He fares even worse in a hypothetical primary match-up against Attorney General Andrew Cuomo - losing 21 percent to 70 percent.

The poll had a margin of error of 3 percentage points.