Andrew Cuomo Holds a Double-Digit Lead Over Zohran Mamdani Less Than a Week Before NYC Mayoral Elections
Cuomo has 39% of the support compared to Mamdani's 27%
With the Democratic primary early voting well underway, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo holds a lead over rising super star Zohran Mamdani in the highly contested New York City mayoral race, a new poll suggests.
The recent data comes from a Marist poll published Wednesday that surveyed 1,350 likely Democratic primary voters between June 9-12. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.3 percentage points.
According to the survey, Cuomo, who resigned from the governorship in 2021 over sexual harassment allegations against him, is the first-choice candidate of 39% of likely Democratic voters for next Tuesday's primary. Conversely, Mamdani, a 33-year-old state assemblyman, is in second with 27%— up from 18% in Marist's poll last month.
Mamdani has specifically made significant inroads among likely Democratic primary voters who are Latino. His support has more than doubled among this voting group, standing at 41% from 20% last month, and now leads the field among Latinos. Cuomo's support has declined, however, standing at 36% in June, compared to 41% in May.
With that data, in ranked-choice voting— how NYC primaries are conducted— Marist estimates that Cuomo would beat Mamdani in the seventh round, crossing the 50% threshold, receiving 55% of likely Democratic primary voters, excluding undecideds. Mamdani then places second with 45%, Marist predicts.
By comparison, other candidates with strong name recognition, like New York City Comptroller Brad Lander— who made headlines Tuesday after being detained by ICE for escorting an immigrant out of a courthouse— and New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, make it into the 6th and 5th round of ranked-choice voting, however, neither is able to crack 15% of the votes.
Interestingly, however, regardless of who wins the Democratic primary, this may not be the last we see of either Cuomo or Mamdani for this race, as both candidates have expressed interest at running again in the general election under other tickets: Cuomo as an independent and Mamdani on the Working Families Party ticket.
Mayor Eric Adams, who has been plagued by his own series of legal and ethical scandals, he withdrew from the Democratic primary in April, yet still hopes to continue leading the city as an independent. On the other side, Republicans have nominated talk show host Curtis Sliwa to represent them in the highly-anticipated contest.
The New York City Mayoral race has become a focal point over the last few months, even for voters who do not reside in the city, as it has come to be a battle between two distinct factions of the Democratic Party who are divided on how to handle the second Trump administration.
For one, some voters have questioned Cuomo's transparency and allegiance due to constant donations from wealthy individuals in the Republican and Conservative Party, many of which have also funded President Trump's political endeavors. Nevertheless, Cuomo positions himself as a uniquely suited person to counter the Trump administration due to his handling of the pandemic.
Mamdani, on the other hand, has quickly gained online momentum, especially after he was endorsed b y Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, two of the leading national progressive figures. Yet, Mamdani's detractors say his age and relatively short time in local politics does not make him prepared to become a key target of the Trump administration.
Originally published on Latin Times
