NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A new poll places Zohran Mamdani, the rising democratic socialist and Queens assemblymember, ahead of Andrew Cuomo for the first time in the crowded race for New York City mayor.
The survey—conducted by Public Policy Polling for Justin Brannan’s city comptroller campaign, and first reviewed by Politico—put Mamdani 4 points ahead of Cuomo, beating him 35% to 31%. The results fall closely within the poll’s 4.1% margin of error.
Cuomo, the career politician and former governor of New York, has been leading the Democratic primary race since he first announced his candidacy on March 1. And while the Public Policy survey showed Mamdani edging Cuomo out, other polls, like the most recent from Honan Strategy Group, still have him leading by double digits.
The Public Policy survey included responses from 573 likely Democratic voters and was conducted between June 6 and June 7, right after the first televised debate and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s endorsement of Mamdani.
“While Cuomo hides, lies and has his billionaire donors fund deceptive attack ads, Zohran’s grassroots, citywide campaign has focused relentlessly on an agenda to improve the lives of working people—and New Yorkers are responding,” Mamdani spokesperson Andrew Epstein said in a statement. “We’re so close to turning the page on the corrupt politics of the past and winning a city we can all afford.”
The poll did not include a ranked-choice voting simulation to mimic the system in NYC, while the Honan Strategy Group survey had Cuomo beating Mamdani 56% to 44% in the seventh round. The poll was conducted between June 5 and June 9, surveyed 957 likely Democratic voters and has a margin of error of 2.76%.
The Honan Strategy Group survey—done with an oversample of LGBTQ+ New Yorkers in combination with LGBTQ+ nonprofit Destination Tomorrow—is being highlighted by Cuomo’s campaign.
“As you know, we have had a poll in the field at the same time, and our poll showed a race with us maintaining what has now been a consistent double-digit lead for more than three months, which is rare for any NYC Mayoral race in recent memory,” Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi said in a statement.
With the June 24 election less than two weeks away, it has become a two-person race between Cuomo and Mamdani, the oldest and youngest candidates. Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams is still running, albeit as an independent in the general election come November.
Seven of the leading Democratic candidates will participate in a primary debate on Thursday night, which could again sway public opinion. Hosted by Spectrum News NY1, it will air at 7 p.m.
Cuomo, Mamdani, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, City Comptroller Brad Lander, former City Comptroller Scott Stringer, Brooklyn state Sen. Zellnor Myrie and political newcomer and businessman Whitney Tilson will attend.