(The Center Square) — New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo is gaining on front-runner Zohran Mamdani following Mayor Eric Adams exit from the race, according to a new independent poll.
The Quinnipiac University poll, released Thursday, found that while Mamdani maintains a double-digit lead in the race for New York City mayor, the former governor is narrowing the gap with less than four weeks until the general election.
Mamdani leads the race with 46% of likely voters backing him, followed by independent candidate Cuomo with 33% support and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa with 15% support, according to the poll.
That’s a nearly 13 point increase over a previous Quinnipiac University poll, conducted in early September, where Mamdani held a 22-point 45%-23% lead over Cuomo, with Sliwa at 15% and Adams at 12%, pollsters said.
The latest survey of more than 1,000 likely voters was conducted between Oct. 3-7 — after Adams, a first-term Democrat who trailed behind the other candidates every poll, bowed out of the race.
“The numbers changed, but the contours of the race haven’t,” Quinnipiac University Poll Assistant Director Mary Snow said in a statement. “Andrew Cuomo picked up the bulk of Adams’ supporters, cutting into Zohran Mamdani’s lead, but Mamdani’s frontrunner status by double digits stays intact.”
Cuomo seized on his rising poll numbers to argue that the race is turning into his favor after Adams announced that he won’t be seeking reelection.
“The path is now clear: This is a two-person race between me and Mamdani,” Cuomo posted on social media. “As voters learn more about the stakes, they are rallying behind proven leadership over dangerously inexperienced extremism. “With one month to go, a surge in fundraising, endorsements, and volunteers, momentum is building, with more to come. New York City’s future is on the line!”
Mamdani, a Queens Assemblyman and member of the Democratic Socialists of America, defeated Cuomo in the Democratic primary earlier this year and has since held a commanding lead in the polls.
His meteoric rise has shocked New York’s political establishment, fueling criticism of his far-left proposals to scrap New York City bus fares, make city-run colleges “tuition-free” and set up government-run grocery stores. He has comments on Israel and previous calls to defund the New York City Police Department. He has also been targeted for his criticism of Israel’s war against Hamas support for pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
Pollsters also asked voters about Mamdani’s pledge that if he is elected to honor a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court by ordering the NYPD to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits New York City.
Forty-three percent of likely voters oppose Mamdani’s pledge, while 38% support it, and 19% said they didn’t have an opinion, according to the poll.
