Feb. 17 (Bloomberg) -- New York Governor David Paterson trails Attorney General Andrew Cuomo in an early look at a 2010 Democratic primary, a Quinnipiac University poll found.

Cuomo attracted 55 percent of likely voters to 23 percent for Paterson. In a general election match-up, Paterson ties former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, a possible Republican challenger, at 43 percent apiece, according to Quinnipiac.

New York state voters approve of the job Paterson is doing, 45 percent to 41 percent, his lowest rating since he took over in March after Eliot Spitzer resigned amid a prostitution scandal. Paterson’s approval rating was 50 percent in a Jan. 26 poll.

By a margin of 52 percent to 35 percent, voters disapprove of the way Paterson handled the appointment of a U.S. Senator to replace Hillary Clinton, the poll found. Paterson on Jan. 23 named Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand to replace Clinton, after weeks of speculation over whether Caroline Kennedy would be given the job.

Kennedy, daughter of President John F. Kennedy, removed herself from consideration Jan. 21, citing unspecified personal reasons after first announcing interest in the job in early December. The New York Times, citing unnamed sources, said Kennedy withdrew amid issues over taxes and a household worker.

“The Caroline Kennedy mix-up still haunts Governor David Paterson,” said Maurice Carroll, director of Quinnipiac’s polling institute, in a statement.

Quinnipiac surveyed 1,065 New York registered voters from Feb. 10 to Feb. 15. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Seventy-six percent of respondents approve of the job Cuomo is doing and 63 percent have a favorable opinion of him. Paterson got a favorable opinion from 41 percent of voters while Giuliani got 56 percent.

To contact the reporter on this story: Stacie Servetah at sbabula@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: February 17, 2009 09:23 EST