Poll: Losing Amazon second HQ deal was bad for New York

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Most voters in New York think it was bad for the state when Amazon dropped plans to put a second headquarters in Queens and many think U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez bears blame for the deal falling through, according to a new poll released Monday.

The Siena College poll of registered voters in New York state found that 67 percent of those surveyed said the internet retailer's decision last month was detrimental to New York. Sixty-one percent support the state and city again offering Amazon up to $3 billion in incentives to create 25,000 jobs if the internet giant reconsiders.

"While some may have celebrated Amazon's announcement to pull the plug, the vast majority of New Yorkers of every stripe thought it was bad for the Empire State," said Siena pollster Steven Greenberg. "Clearly, jobs outweigh the cost of government incentives in the minds of most voters."

The company scrapped plans to redevelop a Long Island City neighborhood for one of its second HQs after the deal met mounting opposition from local elected officials who mostly objected to the incentives package going to a company owned by the world's richest person, Jeff Bezos.

Among those leading the charge against Amazon was Ocasio-Cortez, who represents parts of the Bronx and Queens. When asked if several key players in the Amazon situation were a hero, villain or role player, 38 percent of poll responders said Ocasio-Cortez was a villain, compared to 12 percent who call her a hero and 24 percent who considered her a role player.

When Amazon announced Feb. 14 that it was backing out of the Queens deal, Ocasio-Cortez tweeted: "Today was the day a group of dedicated, everyday New Yorkers and their neighbors defeated Amazon's corporate greed, its worker exploitation, and the power of the richest man in the world."

Corbin Trent, a...