Photo: Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images
Andrew Cuomo’s lead in New York City’s mayoral race hasn’t gone anywhere.
A Marist Poll released on Wednesday — the first high-quality survey of the race in a while — shows the former governor maintaining his sizable lead over the rest of the Democratic mayoral field. And in a ranked-choice-voting simulation, Cuomo reached the needed 50 percent threshold for victory in the fifth round.
When asked who would be their first choice for mayor if the Democratic primary election was held that day, 37 percent of likely voters said they would select Cuomo, followed by 18 percent for Queens assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, and 9 percent for City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams. Eight percent of respondents would back comptroller Brad Lander, followed by 4 percent for former comptroller Scott Stringer, 3 percent for Brooklyn state senator Zellnor Myrie, and 2 percent for Queens state senator Jessica Ramos. Seventeen percent said they were undecided. The survey of 3,383 likely Democratic primary voters was conducted May 1–8.
In the first round of a ranked-choice-voting scenario, Cuomo would receive 44 percent to Mamdani’s 22 percent, followed by Adams with 11 percent, Lander with 10 percent, Stringer with 5 percent, Myrie with 4 percent, and Ramos with 2 percent. By round five, Cuomo would have received 53 percent, followed by Mamdani with 29 percent and Lander with 18 percent.
Cuomo has continued to dominate the polls since joining the crowded field in March. Though his numerous challengers have campaigned heavily on his tenure in Albany and signaled an openness to forming a ranked-choice alliance to prevent him from winning, time is running out to catch the veteran pol. Early voting is set to begin in a month, with the Democratic primary quickly approaching on June 24.
The poll’s demographic breakdown laid out a clear divide among the city’s voting population. Cuomo’s strongest borough is the Bronx with 50 percent of likely voters there supporting him, while 25 percent of Brooklynites are backing Mamdani. Cuomo’s voters skew older: He gets 45 percent of voters age 45 or older, compared to 18 percent from those under that age range. In contrast, Mamdani receives 38 percent from voters under 45, compared to 10 percent from those 45 and older.
On the subject of Donald Trump, voters indicated that they want a mayor who is willing to challenge the president. Seventy-four percent said they want the Democratic mayoral candidate to oppose Trump as much as possible, while 26 percent said they want someone who is open to compromising and finding common ground with the president.
