Rep. Peter King Trails in 2010 N.Y. Senate Matchups

Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) faces an uphill battle in a potential 2010 run for Senate when pitted against potential Democratic opponents Caroline Kennedy and N.Y. Attorney General Andrew Cuomo.

King trails both Kennedy and Cuomo in hypothetical matchups, according to a Public Policy Polling survey released Tuesday, though he comes within much closer striking distance to Kennedy than Cuomo.

Cuomo leads King 48-29 percent in the poll, with 23 percent of voters undecided. Kennedy faces a tighter margin, garnering 46 percent to King’s 44 percent, with a less substantial 10 percent of voters saying they were undecided.

An obstacle to King, who has indicated interest in running and taken repeated shots at Kennedy, could be name recognition. 40 percent of voters expressed uncertainty in their opinion of the Long Island congressman, while 34 percent approved and 26 percent disapproved.

The poll, conducted January 3-4, has a 3.7 percent margin of error.