On Wednesday, two separate polls give leftist candidate Zohran Mamdani a wide lead over all his rivals ahead of the November election that will decide who becomes the next mayor of New York City.
The first survey, conducted by Siena and The New York Times, shows Mamdani with 46% support, followed by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo with 24%, Republican Curtis Sliwa with 15% and current Mayor Eric Adams with 9%.
In a hypothetical two-way race–if Sliwa and Adams were to drop out–Mamdani would still lead with 48% compared with 44% for Cuomo.
The second poll, from Emerson College/PIX 11/The Hill, shows similar results with slight variations: 43% for Mamdani, 28% for Cuomo, 10% for Sliwa and just 7% for Adams. That survey also tested a two-candidate scenario, again showing Mamdani ahead, with 47% to Cuomo’s 40%.
The findings add pressure on the weaker contenders, Sliwa and Adams, but in different ways. Sliwa appeals to the Republican base, while Adams, running as an independent, draws his votes from New York’s deeply divided Democratic electorate in a city that has long been a Democratic stronghold.
We've seen what collaboration with Trump has brought us: money stolen from city accounts, cuts to essential services, New Yorkers as young as six deported. Cuomo offers more of the same.
I am prepared to fight back. pic.twitter.com/7uwvOS0DKI
— Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@ZohranKMamdani) September 4, 2025
In fact, both Adams and Cuomo represent the right wing of the Democratic Party and the city’s political establishment, with strong ties to both business leaders and traditional labor unions. These groups are wary of Mamdani’s social democratic proposals. The 33-year-old has been branded a “communist” or “radical” by his rivals but is widely popular among younger voters.
Last week, it was reported that allies of President Donald Trump offered Adams and Sliwa senior positions if they agreed to drop out and thereby boost Cuomo’s chances. Both men said they would remain in the race but neither confirmed nor denied the reported offer.
Trump has repeatedly said he does not want Mamdani–whom he has dismissed as a “lunatic” and mocked for his appearance–leading New York City, which he describes as degraded, dirty and dangerous after years of Democratic administrations.
Still, some media outlets have noted that part of Trump’s Republican base may actually want Mamdani to win in order to tarnish the Democratic Party as being hijacked by left-wing extremism and weaken its chances in the 2026 midterm elections.
#FromTheSouth News Bits | United States: Thousands of people gathered in Washington, D.C. to protest the Trump administration’s military occupation of the capital, as well as the systematic harassment of immigrants orchestrated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). pic.twitter.com/7lFOxhRCnW
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) September 8, 2025