Politics
NEW: Letitia James’ Polling Lead Collapses After GOP Opponent Dominates Debate
New York Attorney General Letitia James has a Republican challenger within striking distance, according to a new campaign poll that puts Saritha Komatireddy just six points behind the Democratic incumbent.
The survey, conducted by OnMessage Inc. for Komatireddy and obtained by the New York Post, showed James leading 50.7% to 44.7%, with about 4% undecided. A Siena University poll last month gave James a 13-point advantage.
The Republican internal poll offers an encouraging snapshot for Komatireddy in deep-blue New York, though the two surveys were conducted by different pollsters. OnMessage surveyed 1,000 likely voters Oct. 12-14 and reported a margin of error of 2.8 percentage points.
James’ strength in New York City is keeping her ahead statewide. She led Komatireddy 65% to 30% in the five boroughs, while the Republican held advantages on Long Island, across the broader downstate suburbs and upstate.
The campaign’s clearest opening may be among independents, who favored Komatireddy 49% to 43%.
James’ standing with those voters has also deteriorated, according to the pollster. In May, 40% viewed her favorably and 37% unfavorably. Her favorable rating remained at 40% in the latest survey, but her unfavorable rating climbed to 51%, with many describing their opinion as “very unfavorable.”
“This is where a well-funded closing message makes the difference,” the GOP pollster said.
Name one former New York Attorney General you admire.
Letitia James: 🦗🦗🦗 https://t.co/ab8SqvPgFZ
— Saritha Komatireddy (@sarithaforny) October 9, 2026
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OnMessage pointed to the candidates’ Oct. 8 debate as a potential turning point, arguing that Komatireddy’s performance helped her gain ground heading into the campaign’s final stretch.
“Letitia James sits at 50.7% with her negatives rising; Saritha Komatireddy is at 44.7% with a +15 net image,” OnMessage wrote in an Oct. 15 memo.
“The final three weeks are about one thing: putting Saritha in front of the voters who have not seen her yet, because the ones who saw her debate are breaking to her by four to one.”
About one in five respondents said they watched the debate. Among those viewers, Komatireddy led 81% to 19%. James held a 59% to 36% advantage among those who did not watch.
The findings show a sharp divide between the two groups, although they do not establish that watching the debate caused voters to change their preference.
“That gap is the whole campaign in one number: the undecided and soft voters who see Saritha make the case against James move to her, and the ones who have not seen it stay with the incumbent simply by default,” OnMessage said.
Komatireddy, a former federal prosecutor in Brooklyn, handled cases involving international terrorism, cybercrime, narcotics trafficking, money laundering and public corruption in the Eastern District of New York.
Her campaign still faces the task of pulling persuadable voters away from an incumbent seeking a third term. The pollster’s analysis noted that James defeated underfunded Republican Michael Henry by nine percentage points in 2022.
The latest survey showed Komatireddy leading 57% to 41% on Long Island, 54% to 44% in the broader downstate suburbs and 50% to 44% upstate.
She also held advantages among men, 53% to 43%; voters without college degrees, 50% to 45%; and voters ages 46 to 55, 51% to 46%. The memo did not provide James’ margin among women.
Polling analyst Nate Silver gave OnMessage an A rating during the 2024 election cycle. Its latest findings suggest a competitive closing stretch, but the campaign’s own pollster acknowledged that Komatireddy needs to win over some voters still backing James to finish the job.
