FOX 5: Oct. 20 NYC election update: Mamdani photo controversy; Cuomo touts new poll

The Brief

• Zohran Mamdani is facing backlash after a photo surfaced of him with a controversial Brooklyn Imam.
• Meanwhile, Andrew Cuomo’s camp is touting a new poll that shows a tighter race between the former governor and Queens assemblyman.
• Election Day in New York City is just 15 days away.
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The latest

Mamdani’s Iman photo

What we know:

The front page of the Sunday New York Post shows a picture of Mamdani posing Friday with a controversial Imam in Brooklyn named Siraj Wahhaj with an article highlighting what the paper says are the Imam’s homophobic stances. 

What they’re saying:

Mamdani says it’s much ado about nothing.

“The same Imam met with Mayor Bloomberg, met with Mayor de Blasio, campaigned alongside Eric Adams, and the only time it became an issue of national attention was when I met with him, and that’s because of the fact of my faith and because I’m on the precipice of winning this election,” Mamdani said.

The other side:

Meanwhile, aboard Air Force One on Sunday, a reporter asked President Donald Trump about the photo.

“It’s a disaster waiting to happen,” Trump said. “We can’t have a communist in charge of a great, supposedly free, enterprise kind of a representative city. So, I think if you have a communist mayor, I think it’s going to be very tough for him and for the city.”

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo called Wahhaj “an unindicted co-conspirator in the 93” bombing of the World Trade Center and asked why Mamdani has a problem with condemning terrorism.

The backstory:

Earlier this month, Mamdani also faced criticism for photos taken over the summer when he visited his native Uganda.

Meanwhile, Cuomo’s team is touting a new poll that they say shows Mamdani and Cuomo “in a dead heat,” with the Queens assemblyman polling at 45% and the former governor at 41%, within the margin of error.

“As New Yorkers see this reality, they’ll discard the spoiler Curtis Sliwa and rally behind Cuomo to save the city,” Cuomo’s campaign said in a statement.

The Gotham/AARP poll, however, only shows these tighter margins if Sliwa were to exit the race.

“In a head-to-head scenario between Mamdani and Cuomo, Mamdani leads 44.6% to 40.7%, with nearly 15% undecided — a group dominated by voters 50-plus. Cuomo’s support among these older voters has increased nine points since August, signaling growing competitiveness in a possible one-on-one race. If Cuomo were to drop out instead, Sliwa’s support would jump ten points from August, reaching 31.5%,” AARP said in a statement. 

When is Election Day in NYC? 

What’s next:

Election Day 2025 is Tuesday, Nov. 4, 15 days away.Who’s ahead? Polls in the NYC mayor’s race

By the numbers:

Here’s a look at some of the latest polls in the race for NYC mayor:

• A newly released report by Gotham Polling and the city AARP found 44.6% of New Yorkers would vote for Mamdani if Sliwa quit the race, compared to 40.7% saying they’d back Cuomo – with a margin of error of 4 points that puts Cuomo within striking distance.
• The latest Fox News poll shows Mamdani with a 24-point lead among registered voters in New York City. He’s at 52% support among likely voters, while Cuomo polls at 28% and Sliwa polls at 13%.
• Quinnipiac University has Mamdani with a 13-point lead in its latest poll, with Mamdani at 46% of the vote, while Cuomo and Sliwa poll at 33% and 15%, respectively.
  • Polymarket: As of Monday, Mamdani has a 94% chance of winning the election.
  • Kalshi: The latest odds from Kalshi have Mamdani at a 91% chance of winning.
  • Oddschecker: Mamdani is at -2000 to win.

Betting odds

Some companies have begun taking what amounts to bets on the outcome of the NYC mayoral election.