Gov. Kathy Hochul holds an 11-point lead over Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman in a new statewide poll released Wednesday, as New York Democrats seek to turn one of the Nassau County executive’s signature campaign issues, public safety, against him.

The Marist poll found Hochul leading Blakeman 53% to 42% among registered voters, with 5% undecided. Blakeman led among independents, 49% to 42%, while the two candidates were tied at 48% among suburban voters.

Hochul held a commanding advantage in New York City, 69% to 24%, while Blakeman led Upstate, 51% to 43%. The 11-point margin falls between two statewide polls released on Sept. 23. Siena had Hochul ahead 50% to 41% among likely voters, while Quinnipiac showed a wider 58% to 39% advantage. The surveys are not directly comparable, however, because Marist polled registered voters while Siena and Quinnipiac surveyed likely voters.

The new Marist poll was conducted Oct. 1 through Oct. 4 among 1,361 registered New York voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points. Respondents were reached by phone, text and online.

Against the positive polling backdrop for Hochul, her ally, New York State Democratic Party Chair Jay Jacobs, is accusing Blakeman of “defunding” the Nassau County Police Department, pointing to staffing vacancies and a proposed reduction in police equipment spending.

“Bruce Blakeman is defunding the Nassau PD while trying to sell New Yorkers on lies about his safety record,” Jacobs said in a statement shared with amNewYork. “Blakeman’s own county is losing police officers on his watch, and now he wants to slash funding for equipment that allows law enforcement to do their jobs.”