ALBANY — Two new polls show Gov. Kathy Hochul holds a double-digit edge over Rep. Lee Zeldin in the governor’s race, though the latter is competitive in upstate and suburban regions.

Data released by the Siena poll shows the key source of Hochul’s strength is the support she has from African American and female voters.

She and Zeldin, a Long Island Republican, are set to face each other in the Nov. 8 statewide election, with Hochul hoping to reel in her first full four-year term, following last year’s resignation of her partner in state government, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

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Suburbs, upstate

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The Emerson College poll has Zeldin trailing Hochul, 51% to 35%, Zeldin performed slightly better in the Siena Poll, with Hochul topping him 53% to 39%.

New York political consultant Hank Sheinkopf said the polling data shows Zeldin has had some success winning over suburban and politically unaffiliated voters by focusing on public safety concerns amid an uptick in violent crime.

“Can (Hochul) lose the race? Not likely. Is it possible? Yeah,” Sheinkopf said.

Spencer Kimball, director of the Emerson poll, said Hochul has a commanding lead among women voters, with Zeldin trailing in that category 55% to 26%.

In the upstate region, the two are “statistically even,” with Zeldin ahead by a point — 44% to 43%, Kimball said.

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“Kickback Kathy”

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Hochul has a major advantage over Zeldin due to having significantly raised more money than the Republican, along with the built-in benefits of the dominance the Democrats enjoy in voter registration.

Meanwhile, the state Republican Party launched a new attack on Hochul Tuesday, branding her “Kickback Kathy,” citing a story in the Albany Times Union that reported the Hochul administration is awarding a multi-billion-dollar management contract to Medical Answering Services of Syracuse, whose owner is a prominent Hochul campaign donor. State officials have denied there was anything improper about the contract.

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Gun legislation

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The Hochul campaign, reacting to the two new polls, noted they show New Yorkers overwhelmingly approve of abortion protections and the “commonsense” gun laws pushed through by the governor after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the state’s concealed carry law infringed on the constitutional rights of gun owners.

Hochul’s campaign said in a statement the polls indicate “MAGA Republican Lee Zeldin is out of touch with New York voters who strongly oppose his dangerous agenda to put more guns on our streets and restrict the fundamental right to an abortion.”

Access to pistol permits has become one of the issues in the governor’s race. Republican lawmakers opposed Hochul’s push to require pistol permit applicants to provide their social media information, get expanded training and face new pistol and rifle restrictions in parks and other “sensitive areas.

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Gun law support

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The Siena Poll found overwhelming voter support for the expanded requirements for pistol permit applicants. The poll reported there was also strong support for prohibiting firearms in sensitive areas and requiring private businesses to post a sign if they allow concealed weapons on their premises.

Tom King, president of the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, said he was skeptical of the Siena polling data on gun laws, noting it is based on a sampling of 806 likely voters.

“Is there a mix of opinions about this? Sure there is,” King said. “But I don’t believe there is an overwhelming majority of people in favor of the laws Hochul passed.”

King’s group has signaled its plans to file a lawsuit aimed at challenging the constitutionality of the new requirements.