Daily Mail: Superstar socialist could lose NYC mayoral election… but only if GOP rival drops out, new poll claims

Rising socialist star Zohran Mamdani could lose the upcoming New York City mayoral election, but only if Republican challenger Curtis Sliwa drops out, a new poll predicts.

Mamdani, 33, would see his lead over centrist challenger Andrew Cuomo – a former Democrat who is running as an independent – cut to just four points if Sliwa voluntarily exited the race.

The Gotham Polling and AARP survey said 44.6 percent of New Yorkers would back Mamdani, with 40.7 percent backing Cuomo, if Sliwa did drop out, despite the fact that he was recently pictured with terrorist apologist, the New York Post reported. 

Mamdani was seen smiling big next to Sirag Wahhaj, an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing who has links to other terrorist activity in the US, on October 17. 

He posted the image after his first debate, as he was seen posing alongside Wahhaj and Democratic Councilman Yusef Salaam, a member of the Central Park 5.  

That poll has a four percent margin of error, meaning former New York State Governor Cuomo could narrowly beat Mamdani if its findings are accurate.

If Sliwa remains in the race, the poll shows Mamdani winning 43.2 percent of the vote, Cuomo 28.9 percent and Sliwa on 19.4 percent. 

Mamdani has emerged as firm favorite to win the mayoral election, which takes place on November 4.

The lawmaker, who currently serves as a state assemblyman for a constituency in Queens, electrified the race thanks to his charismatic personality and vow to tackle cost of living issues.

Among his most eye-catching proposals are plans for free buses across New York City and a state-run supermarket in each borough.

Mamdani has also vowed to issue an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes the next time he sets foot in the Big Apple.

He wants to increase state income taxes on those earning $1 million or over by one percent annually to pay for his proposals.  

Mamdani has spooked centrists and conservatives.

They fear his policies would turn America’s most populous and economically-important city into a crime-ridden, debt-laden basket case and prompt businesses to move their headquarters to conservative states. 

Mamdani has come under fire for his previous anti-police rhetoric – which included calling the New York Police Department racist. 

He has since apologized for those remarks. 

The Muslim mayoral candidate has also been accused of stoking anti-Semitism by accusing Israel of launching a ‘genocidal war’ in Gaza following Hamas’s October 2023 terror attacks on Israel that killed 1,200. 

One in twelve New Yorkers is Jewish – the largest population of Jews outside Israel – with Mamdani’s stance on Israel spooking many of them.  He denies claims he is anti-Semitic and insists his words are motivated by the plight of the people of Gaza. 

Mamdani hammered Cuomo in the Democratic primary to win the party’s nomination to run for mayor in the deep blue city. 

Cuomo served as Governor of New York between 2011 and 2021. He was praised for his handling of the Covid pandemic, but was forced to resign after multiple allegations of sexual harassment. 

Sliwa is a moderate Republican best-known for forming the Guardian Angels,  a civilian group formed in 1977 to try and keep New York City’s subway network safe as violent crime surged. 

Many of the 71 year-old’s policies are popular with New Yorkers, including his vow to crack down on crime and improve public safety, but he is not viewed as a serious contender in the race. 

Last week, Cuomo all but begged Sliwa to drop out of the race to give him a chance to win.

Sliwa has refused to do so, claiming he has been hearted by the response he’s received from people on the street.

The Republican lost his previous attempt to be mayor in 2021 to Eric Adams. 

Adams, a centrist Democrat, dropped out of running for a second term earlier this year after a series of corruption scandals tanked his polls.