As Zohran Mamdani visits Washington, new poll shows tightening NYC mayor's race
New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani visited Washington, D.C. on Wednesday.
Mamdani was in the nation's capital meeting with Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who endorsed him in the primary, along with other liberal members of Congress.
In her endorsement, Ocasio-Cortez said the democratic socialist had "demonstrated a real ability to put together a coalition of working-class New Yorkers that is strongest to lead the pack." Sanders followed suit and came forward to endorse Mamdani in the primary, as well.
Sanders Wednesday saying he's "deeply impressed by the grassroots campaign he is running."
"It's just beautiful to have someone who is so authentic. Money cannot buy that. We had a great conversation," Rep. Nydia Velazquez said.
Mandani went on to win the Democratic primary in a stunning victory over former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and nine other candidates.
New poll spells trouble for Adams
Meanwhile, shows a dynamic and tightening situation in the crowded race for mayor.
In a four-way race that includes Mamdani, Cuomo, Republican Curtis Sliwa and New York City Mayor Eric Adams, the poll finds Mamdani with 26%, Cuomo with 23%, Sliwa with 22% and Adams at 13%. Some 15% of voters remain undecided.
In that scenario, Mamdani, Cuomo and Sliwa are essentially tied, since the results are within the 4.1% margin of error in the poll of 600.
A three way race without Adams is also essentially a statistical tie, according to the poll - Cuomo has 31%, Mamdani has 29%, and Sliwa has 28%.
A three way race without Cuomo represents Mamdani's best case scenario, according to the poll. He takes a wide lead with 35%, followed by Sliwa with 25% and Adams with 19%.
And if it came down to just a two person race:
- Mamdani beats Adams 43% to 36%
- Cuomo beats Mamdani 50% to 35%
"These numbers show a volatile race still taking shape," said Dritan Nesho, CEO of HarrisX. "While the progressive base is fueling Mamdani's rise, Cuomo's broad name recognition and moderate appeal make him a formidable general election challenger."
Sliwa says Cuomo and Adams should drop out.
"I'm the only guy who can match fire with Mamdani in the streets," Sliwa said.
Cuomo launches independent campaign for NYC mayor
Cuomo officially relaunched his candidacy this week, and he asked the other independent candidates to drop out if they are not in the lead.
"I don't want to be part of a suicide mission," Cuomo told CBS News New York's political reporter Marcia Kramer in an interview Tuesday. "If Adams is a stronger candidate, I'm not going to be a spoiler and I'll defer. I'm not going to be a reason that this assemblyman became mayor of the city of New York."
A spokesperson for incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who is also running as an independent, brushed off the comments, saying he has no interest in stepping aside.
The general election is set for Tuesday, Nov. 4, when Mamdani, Cuomo and Adams are expected to face Sliwa and independent candidate Jim Walden. There is no ranked choice voting in the general election.
See the full poll
by on Scribd
