New York Councilman Zoran Mamdani is now in a competitive position against former Governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary for New York City mayor, according to a poll released on Monday.
The Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill race indicates that in the final survey, Cuomo has a slight edge over Mamdani, leading 35% to 32%. Following them are New York City Director Brad Lander with 13%, City Council Speaker Adrian Adams at 8%, and former Secretary Scott Stringer at 3%. Additionally, 4% of voters remain undecided.
The poll allowed respondents to rank their preferences. In the initial round of voting, Cuomo held a marginal lead over Mamdani, with 36% to 34%. However, by the eighth round of voting—after the elimination of other candidates—Mamdani emerged victorious, defeating Cuomo 52% to 48%.
New York City’s mayoral primary utilizes a ranked choice voting system. This means voters can prioritize their top five candidates. If no candidate receives over 50% of the votes in the first round, the candidate with the least support is eliminated, and their votes are redistributed according to voters’ second choices.
The results suggest Mamdani, a democratic socialist, is gaining traction as a strong progressive contender to succeed Mayor Eric Adams (D), who is now an independent. In a previous Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill survey from May, Cuomo was ahead of Mamdani by a wider margin, 35% to 23%.
“Over the past five months, Mamdani’s support surged from 1% to 32%, whereas Cuomo has remained stagnant,” noted Spencer Kimball, Emerson College Polling’s executive director. “In the ranked choice simulation, Mamdani outperformed Cuomo with 18 points compared to 12, indicating significant progress in the final round of the poll.”
This poll is among the latest as the primary approaches. A previous Marist poll suggested Cuomo was leading Mamdani in the seventh round, with figures around 55% to 45%.
Cuomo has been regarded as a strong candidate as Democrats appear to distance themselves from Adams, who faced a dropped federal corruption case and allegations of attempting to gain favor with President Trump.
This week’s results mark a surprising comeback for Cuomo, who resigned in 2021 amid sexual harassment allegations and a scandal regarding his administration’s handling of nursing home deaths during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Despite his controversies, Cuomo still has backing from prominent Democrats, including Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), a key figure in the Black Congressional Caucus. Mamdani, meanwhile, has garnered support from well-known progressives like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), even attracting criticism from more mainstream party figures. Notably, the New York Times editorial board recently urged voters to reconsider supporting Mamdani, despite a stated commitment not to influence local elections.
The Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill Survey was conducted from June 18 to June 20, using a sample of 833 voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3%. The first round of ranked choice voting involved 800 potential voters, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4%. The final round included 729 voters, accompanied by a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6%.
