The Quinnipiac University poll comes less than a month from Election Day and just over two weeks before early voting begins in New York City.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams ends re-election campaign
New York City Mayor Eric Adams has ended his long-held bid to run for a second term leading the nation’s largest city.
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NEW YORK – Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has a 10-point lead over Democratic candidate Zoran Mamdani in New York City’s mayoral race, but still trails the 33-year-old state lawmaker by double digits, according to a new poll.
The Quinnipiac University poll, released Oct. 9, comes just over a week after Mayor Eric Adams withdrew his bid for re-election. Presumably, New York City voters, of whom more than 1,000 cast their votes in early October, had largely made up their minds about the candidates ahead of the Nov. 4 election.
Mr. Mamdani, a democratic socialist, leads with 46% of likely voters, while Mr. Cuomo, who is running as an independent, has an approval rating of 33%, up from 23% in a September Quinnipiac poll before Mr. Adams resigned. Mr. Cuomo and Mr. Adams are both registered Democrats with independent voting slots. The latest poll shows Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa with a solid 15%.
The results showed Mamdani, a democratic socialist who is the city’s first Muslim mayor and first Asian American mayor, up just one point from the Sept. 10 poll. However, there is still a 13-point difference between him and Mr. Cuomo.
“While the numbers have changed, the contours of the race have not,” Mary Snow, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll, said in a statement. Mr. Snow said Mr. Cuomo had rallied supporters of Mr. Adams, but “Mamdani remains the front-runner by a double-digit margin.”
The poll was released nearly a month after Election Day and just over two weeks before early voting began. Mamdani trailed Cuomo for much of the June Democratic primary. Mamdani closed the gap in the final stages and won a decisive victory in the predominantly Democratic city, clinching the key nomination.
Cuomo’s campaign quickly seized control of the polls, saying in a statement that “the race is decisively changing.”
“The path is now clear. This is a two-man race between Andrew Cuomo and Zoran Mamdani,” Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi said. “As voters learn about the stakes and Cuomo’s track record of rebuilding LaGuardia, revitalizing the MTA, expanding affordable housing, and keeping New York safe, they are rallying behind proven leadership.
Nearly three-quarters of likely voters said Mr. Cuomo had the experience to be mayor, compared with less than 40% for Mr. Mamdani, who was first elected to the state House in 2020, according to the poll.
Mamdani campaign spokeswoman Dora Pekek said in a statement that there was “genuine enthusiasm” for Mr. Cuomo’s campaign, backed by thousands of volunteers against the billionaire who are propping up Mr. Cuomo in a “last-ditch effort.”
The poll found that about 90% of likely voters for Mr. Mamdani were very or somewhat enthusiastic about the candidate, while 69% of likely voters for Mr. Cuomo said they were very or somewhat enthusiastic about the candidate.
“Every day, Zoran meets with voters in all five boroughs who are ready to turn the page on the broken politics of the past and build a city that everyone can afford,” Pekek said.
Hurdles remain for Cuomo
More than half of respondents said they had an unfavorable opinion of Mr. Cuomo. A similar number of respondents, 54%, said Mr. Cuomo is unethical. In 2021, Cuomo resigned in disgrace as governor amid allegations of sexual harassment (which he denies) and criticism of his management of nursing homes during the coronavirus pandemic.
Another hurdle is that Adams, who withdrew from the race on Sept. 28, will remain on the ballot as an independent candidate even though he is not seeking re-election.
Nearly half of respondents said Mr. Mamdani could reduce housing costs, compared with just a quarter for Mr. Cuomo. Voters who believed Cuomo was growing the city’s economy favored Mamdani by 41% and 35%, respectively.
The poll also asked voters about President Donald Trump. Voters were divided on whether Mamdani or Cuomo was the best person to represent New York City’s interests to the White House.
Quinnipiac’s Snow said both Democrats are trying to argue that it’s best to protect New York City from President Trump, but voters don’t see much difference between the parties on that point.
Sliwa, founder of the anti-crime vigilante group Guardian Angels, said in a statement that the only polls that matter are those on Election Day.
Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Contact us via email (emcuevas1@usatoday.com) or Signal (emcuevas.01).
