Zohran Mamdani maintains big lead in New York mayor’s race, new poll finds

Zohran Mamdani continues to hold a commanding lead in the race for New York City mayor, with a new poll released on Wednesday showing the Democratic nominee 15 points ahead of former governor Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent candidate.

The new poll, conducted by Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill, shows Mamdani with 43% support among New York City registered voters, compared with 28% for Cuomo, who is running as an independent after losing the Democratic primary to Mamdani in June.

Mamdani, a democratic socialist, has triggered excitement among many progressives and leftists in the Democratic party and unease with some centrist party leaders. His leftwing populist agenda propelled him to a shock win in the party primary, creating global headlines.

In the Emerson poll, the Republican nominee, Curtis Sliwa, received 10% support, while the incumbent mayor, Eric Adams, who is also running as an independent, polled at 8%. Nine per cent of respondents said they were still undecided.

Among voters who said they were “very likely” to vote in the November election, Mamdani leads Cuomo 46% to 27%. The poll also found Mamdani holds a 29-point lead over Cuomo among voters under 50, and a six-point lead among voters over 50.

The new results mirror other polling by the New York Times/Siena University released this week, which found Mamdani leading Cuomo 46% to 24% among likely voters. In that poll, Sliwa received 15% support, and Adams 9%.

Andrew Cuomo speaks in New York on 21 August 2025. Photograph: Michael M Santiago/Getty Images

When asked which candidate they believe would best address affordability in New York City, 49% of voters chose Mamdani, compared with 24% for Cuomo.

An earlier poll released in August by the Siena Institute showed Mamdani ahead of Cuomo by 19 points.

According to recent reports, advisers of Donald Trump have made efforts to get Adams to drop out of the race in exchange for a possible role in the Trump administration, with the goal of clearing the field for a two-person race between Cuomo and Mamdani.

The New York Times also reported that the talks had also involved finding a possible place in the administration for Sliwa.

If Adams and Sliwa were to suspend their campaigns, the Times/Siena poll found that the race would tighten, with 48% supporting Mamdani and 44% supporting Cuomo.

However, with eight weeks remaining until election day, Adams and Sliwa have publicly stated that they have no intention of dropping out of the race.

This past weekend, Mamdani appeared alongside the Vermont senator Bernie Sanders at a town hall in Brooklyn.