Amsterdam News: Mamdani tops mayoral candidate field, Adams polls are lowest

Mayoral candidates have been out in full force campaigning around the city in preparation for the upcoming general election in November, but the most recent numbers paint a stark picture of what the vote could look like.

Several polling entities, such as Siena College or AARP New York and Gotham Polling& Analytics, have Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani leading the mayoral field. AARP’s most recent numbers show Mamdani with about 41.8% voter support, followed by former Governor Andrew Cuomo with 23.4%, Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa at 16.5%, and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams trailing behind with 8.8%.

The poll also reveals important shifts in candidate support across demographic groups. Mamdani leads across nearly all racial and ethnic categories, with particularly strong backing among Black (48%), Hispanic (45%), and East or South Asian (48%) voters. Cuomo is now performing well among Jewish voters, earning 38% of their support, when before he was heavily supported by Black and Brown voters before the primary.

Sliwa’s strongest support comes from Hispanic (20%) and White (21%) voters, while Adams’s best support is still coming from Black voters (13%), said the poll.

Mamdani launched his “Five Boroughs Against Trump” tour on August 11. The tour highlights the devastating impacts of the Trump administration on New York City while trying to meet voters in as many communities as possible. He has made several stops throughout the boroughs, including communities in Queens, Staten Island, predominantly Black churches in Brooklyn, a lively celebration in Coney Island’s Little Pakistan community, and a walking tour last weekend of the 51st annual Harlem Week in Manhattan on its final day.

“Look, if I put faith in polls, I wouldn’t be standing in front of you as the Democratic nominee,” said Mamdani at the event. During the primary, his campaign had initially polled far behind other candidates before his surprising win, “so I’m going to be working my hardest every single day to make the case across the five boroughs of how we will transform the most expensive city in the United States of America into one every New Yorker can afford.”

Mamdani began his walking tour of Harlem at the Riverton Square gardens near the home of New York County Democrats Party leader Keith L. T. Wright and his son, fellow Assemblymember (AM) Jordan J.G. Wright. They walked from there down West 135th Street, where Mamdani was mobbed by enthusiastic Harlemites, some of whom clamored for pictures with him, while some preferred to shout encouragement as he passed by. Several stopped Mamdani to ask him pointedly what his plans were to help the Black community.

“It’s been lovely to be back here in Harlem, to be walking the streets with both Harlemites who have been leaders of this very neighborhood for so long, as well as those who have felt that politics just hasn’t represented their own needs for far too long, especially from City Hall,” said Mamdani. “What I’ve heard from so many Black Harlemites, Black New Yorkers, is the pain of this affordability crisis and how it has started to hollow out so many of the very neighborhoods that we know and [that] cherishes the hearts of Black excellence in this city.”

Jordan Wright had previously endorsed Cuomo in the primary, but has officially backed Mamdani in the general election. He said he had no regrets in choosing Mamdani as his candidate now. “I endorse Zohran Mamdani because there is a real wave of excitement in the city,
and I think you’d be naive to ignore that,” said Wright. “I think that it comes with the territory of being the mayor — that you have to be responsible, have to be pragmatic, and I think those are things that Zohran will do once he’s the mayor, in the Harlem community, the Black community across the city.”

Adams, who had a less noticeable presence on the campaign trail, nevertheless had a tent and volunteers working hard at Harlem Week to get out the vote. Lately, on his social media platforms, he has pivoted to posting trendy short videos and content that would be fit for a 30-year-old Tik Tokker in an effort to mimic Mamdani’s online success. Adams, 64, is at times a little cringey, albeit endearing, as he makes “get ready with me” videos about washing his face or making smoothies; invoking the name of the Knicks whenever he can; or even connecting with controversial and high-grossing Black Youtube and Twitch streamer Kai Cenat, who is a Bronx native.

Adams’s office also recently rolled out an “Ending the Culture of ‘Anything Goes’” platform. A former cop, he plans on deploying NYPD Quality of Life Teams, or “Q-Teams,” to police issues like noise, parking, homeless encampments, and public drug use citywide.

“Simply put, ‘End the Culture of Anything Goes’ means New York City is doubling down on our efforts to change the culture, laws, and investments that improve quality of life and prevent public disorder,” said Adams in his op-ed on August 18. “While we have made great strides in addressing subway safety, severe mental illness, and chronic homelessness, we still see too many people struggling on our streets, often as a result of drug addiction.”

Despite people taking notice of his social media strategy, Adams still faces a “challenging image” to repair in general, said the AARP poll experts, since voters surveyed expressed “significant dissatisfaction with New York City’s current trajectory.”

“New Yorkers are telling the candidates loud and clear: Show us your plan to make the city livable and affordable, and you’ll earn our vote,” said Beth Finkel, AARP New York State director in a statement. “Older voters especially, who turn out at the highest rates, want real solutions to help them stay in the homes and communities they built and make great.”

Meanwhile, Cuomo, 67, has similarly tried to be more hip on social media with far less success than Adams.

Cuomo has attacked Mamdani’s record of supporting the decriminalization of prostitution in New York and announced a housing plan that aims to protect the city’s rent-stabilized apartments from being occupied by high-income individuals — which he cheekily named “Zohran’s Law.” He has hit speed bumps during his campaign, with other candidates pointing out that he is on Jeffrey Epstein’s contact list, according to key files released by the Justice Department in February. Leaked audio from an event in the Hamptons has Cuomo admitting that he expects President Donald Trump’s help with winning the election.

Even still, some analysts see a way for Cuomo to make a comeback by November with uncommitted voters.

“Cuomo has the best path of the challengers, but even in a hypothetical one-on-one in an election that often favors lower-turnout, older electorates, he still trails by double digits,” said Gotham Polling & Analytics President Stephen Graves in a statement. “The opening for a comeback is the sizable uncommitted bloc in the consolidation tests, roughly 11% to 35% depending on who drops, which means a disciplined persuasion campaign could still make this a race.”