Ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo holds a commanding lead in the Democratic primary race for New York City mayor while Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani has surged into second place, according to a new poll released Wednesday.
Cuomo is supported by 38% of Democratic primary voters followed by Mamdani with 10%, Mayor Eric Adams with 8%, city Comptroller Brad Lander and state Sen. Jessica Ramos with 6% apiece, former Comptroller Scott Stringer with 5% and 4% each for Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, the Emerson College/Pix11/The Hill survey found.
Nearly one in five Democrats — 18% — are undecided or support someone else.
Another 2% of Dems favored financier Whitney Tilson followed by former Assemblyman Michael Blake with 1%.
Cuomo’s support increased from 33% to 38%, up five points since the Emerson pollster last surveyed the race in early February, before he entered the race on March 1.
Mamdani’s backing shot up from barely registering at 1% in February to 10% in the latest poll — surpassing all the other candidates except Cuomo.
It’s the third poll this week showing Mamdani surging into second place, but still way behind Cuomo.
A separate survey released by the liberal think tank Data for Progress earlier Wednesday had Cuomo in the lead with 39% support followed by Mamdani with 15% and everyone else in single digits.
The Democratic primary will be held June 24, preceded by a week of early voting.
It’s Cuomo’s race to lose, said Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling.
“With about three months until the Democratic Primary, Governor Cuomo has emerged as the
top candidate in the race, with no clear alternative emerging among Democratic voters,” said Kimball.
The survey also found that Cuomo is in a strong position to win a ranked choice voting primary.
He is the second choice of 10% of voters.
His strength is among minority and older voters, the pollster said
The survey shows Cuomo pulling nearly half of both black (47%) and Hispanc voters (45%), the poll found.
“Cuomo’s support generally increases as voters’ age increases, going from 21% among voters
under 30 to 44% of voters over 70,” Kimball said.
Ramos and Mamdani split the youth voters under age 30 at 16% each.
In a hypothetical general election with Eric Adams running as an independent candidate, 43%
would vote for Cuomo, 13% for Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, 11% Mayor
Adams, and 4% independent Jim Walden.
Eric Adams’ support dipped from 10% in February to 8% in the Democratic primary from last month’s survey, and Stringer’s support fell from 8% to 5% in Emerson’s new poll.
Adrienne Adams recently entered the race, and it’s the first time the Emerson Poll tested her support in a mayoral primary. She registered support from 4% of Democrats.
As for the issues, 63% of voters want the next mayor to stand up to President Trump, while 28% would rather see the City Hall work, with 9% unsure.
A third of voters say the next mayor’s top priority should be public safety and crime, while 23%
think it should be housing, 10% addressing the migrant crisis, 7% healthcare, 6% homelessness, 5% jobs and 4% education.
Nearly half of voters — 46% — said New York should remain a sanctuary city, while 34% want the local government to repeal its sanctuary laws. Nineteen percent are unsure.
The cost of housing is the biggest economic challenge for 35% of city voters, followed by 29% who cited the cost of groceries, and then 5% of respondents who cited taxes.
Nearly half of voters – 48% — think the subway system is becoming less safe, while 20% think it is becoming more safe, and one-third said it’s about the same as before.
Voters are split on whether congestion pricing should continue to enter Manhattan: 44% think it should not continue, 42% think it should continue and 14% are unsure.
“White voters are most supportive of congestion pricing continuing, at 51%, while Black and Asian voters oppose it most strongly at 53% and 52% respectively,” Kimball said.
The Emerson College Polling survey queried 653 registered Democrats from March 21-24, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points, via text on smartphone and automated calls on landlines.
