15% Would Re-Elect David Paterson's

Jeez, how low can a guy go?

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York Democratic Governor David Paterson's ratings with voters in the 2010 gubernatorial race were near record lows while his rivals gained ground, a poll released on Tuesday showed.

Only 15 percent of the 624 voters polled between October 14 and 18 would re-elect Paterson while 72 percent preferred someone else, the poll by Siena College's Research Institute found.The governor's job performance was rated negative by 79 percent to 19 percent.

Both the performance rating and the preference for another candidate only firmed by 1 percentage point in Paterson's favor, which is within the 3.9 percent point margin of error."By every measure, voters continue to keep Governor Paterson in the electoral cellar," said Siena pollster Steven Greenberg in a statement.

The poll is the latest blow for the embattled governor who is seeking re-election despite reports that President Barack Obama has urged him not to and a series of polls showing he would lose to Democratic Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and Rudolph Giuliani, the former New York City mayor.