The poll also includes Mayor Eric Adams, who withdrew from the race but whose name will remain on the ballot, potentially hurting Andrew Cuomo’s chances.
New York mayoral candidates face off in heated mayoral debate
Independent Andrew Cuomo, Democrat Zoran Mamdani, and Republican Curtis Sliwa clashed during the first New York mayoral debate, exchanging fierce attacks.
NEW YORK – Democratic candidate Zoran Mamdani may win a majority of voters in New York’s mayoral race, according to a FOX News poll.
In the days leading up to the November 4 election, a poll released on October 16 showed Mr Mamdani, a democratic socialist state lawmaker, won 52% of likely voters and 49% of registered voters. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, an independent candidate, has a more than 20-point lead over Mamdani, winning 28% of both likely voters and registered voters.
Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa’s approval rating was around 13-14%.
A Quinnipiac University poll conducted a week earlier showed Mamdani’s approval rating at 46%, compared to 33% for Cuomo and 15% for Sliwa. Polls show support for Mr. Cuomo increased after Mayor Eric Adams withdrew from the race on September 28.
But the Fox News poll also included Adams’ name, as his name will appear on New Yorkers’ ballots in the Nov. 4 general election. Mr. Adams received only 2% to 3% of voters, potentially further hurting Mr. Cuomo’s chances of making a comeback after losing to Mr. Mamdani in the Democratic primary in June.
“Today’s poll shows that a majority of New Yorkers reject Andrew Cuomo’s billionaire-backed politics of the past and join Zoran Mamdani’s movement for a new kind of politics that responds to the people, not Donald Trump and the billionaire class,” Mamdani campaign spokeswoman Dora Pekek said in a statement, referring to the big spending on Cuomo’s behalf. Trump-supporting billionaires like Bill Ackman.
Instead of commenting on the poll, a spokesperson for Cuomo’s campaign pointed to the former governor’s appearance on the conservative radio show “Sid and Friends in the Morning.”
In that appearance, Mr. Cuomo appealed to Republicans to vote for him instead of Mr. Sliwa to defeat Mr. Mamdani.
“If Curtis doesn’t race, I win,” he said. “And that’s the Republican choice.”
The Fox News poll sampled more than 1,000 registered voters who responded to the survey via landline phone, cell phone or online text message between Oct. 10 and 14.
Polls have shown Mamdani, 33, consistently in the lead since his upset victory over Cuomo in a crowded Democratic primary.
A Sept. 24 Fox News poll found that most voters want significant changes in city government. The poll found comparisons between Cuomo, a three-term former governor who resigned amid sexual harassment allegations, and Mamdani, a new state lawmaker.
Candidates launch new attacks in first debate
Results announced ahead of the first mayoral debate in the general election. During the two-hour event, Mamdani and Cuomo appeared center stage with Sliwa in the middle.
Issues ranged from international, such as the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, to local, such as a parade that reflected the city’s diversity.
Cuomo attacked Mamdani for his views on past calls to “defund the police,” which Mamdani denied. Mr. Cuomo and Mr. Sliwa each criticized Mr. Mamdani for not supporting the existence of Israel as a Jewish state. Two of Mamdani’s opponents also questioned how he could enact his signature policies of freezing rents and making buses free.
Mamdani attacked Cuomo over his response to the COVID-19 pandemic and questioned his ties to Muslim New Yorkers.
Some of the sharpest criticism of Cuomo came from Sliwa. At one point, the three got into an argument over who could best fend off President Donald Trump, who has already withheld federal funds from the city.
“I know you think you’re the toughest man alive, but let me tell you something,” Sliwa told Cuomo. “You lost the primary. You were rejected by the Democrats. And it’s hard for you to understand what the word ‘no’ means.”
Mamdani stood by silently, only interjecting when Suriwa agreed.
The next and final debate will be on Spectrum News on October 22nd.
Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Contact us via email (emcuevas1@usatoday.com) or Signal (emcuevas.01).
