Nov. 16 (Bloomberg) -- New York Governor David Paterson’s popularity remains low and he would lose to Attorney General Andrew Cuomo in a Democratic primary race by 75 percent to 16 percent, a Siena Research Institute poll shows.

If Paterson were the Democratic Party nominee, he would lose a general election to former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani, a Republican who hasn’t announced his candidacy, or former Republican Congressman Rick Lazio, who is seeking the office, the poll showed. The next primary is in September.

The telephone survey of registered voters found 33 percent rated Paterson favorably while 56 percent regard him unfavorably. The poll was conducted Nov. 8-12, less than a week after Paterson started a statewide television advertising campaign. The results have a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

Paterson “is going to have to spend a lot of campaign funds very early to even have a chance of improving the measurements by which voters judge,” said Steven Greenberg, a spokesman for the Loudonville, New York-based institute said in a statement.

Paterson has blamed low poll ratings on the state’s budget crisis, which has required him to recommend unpopular spending cuts. “I’ll mortgage my political future by doing the right thing,” he said in an interview on Buffalo-based radio station WBEN. Eventually, the public will understand he is doing what is best for the state, he said.

Paterson’s approval ratings slipped to 27 percent from 29 percent in an October survey, while his unfavorable rating rose to 61 percent from 59 percent. His job performance rating was 21 percent positive, 79 percent negative, little changed from last month.

Most New York politicians have low favorability ratings and voter recognition. Cuomo and U.S. Senator Charles Schumer were the only Democratic officials with favorable ratings above 35 percent, the poll showed. Giuliani and ex-governor George Pataki were the only Republicans with favorable ratings above 30 percent, the poll found.

To contact the reporter on this story: Michael Quint in Albany, New York, at mquint@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: November 16, 2009 13:17 EST