Zohran Mamdani overtakes Andrew Cuomo in new poll, takes lead in New York mayor’s race

Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist in the New York mayoral race, has pulled ahead of Andrew Cuomo for the first time, according to a new poll reviewed by POLITICO.

As reported by POLITICO, conducted by Public Policy Polling for city comptroller candidate Justin Brannan’s campaign, the survey shows Mamdani leading Cuomo 35% to 31%—a slim margin within the 4.1% margin of error.

Zohran Mamdani, who could become New York City's first Muslim and Indian American mayor, was born in Kampala, Uganda, and moved to the city with his family at the age of 7.

He became a naturalised US citizen a few years after completing college, where he co-founded his university’s first Students for Justice in Palestine chapter. Mamdani comes from a prominent family—his mother, Mira Nair, is an acclaimed filmmaker, and his father, Mahmood Mamdani, is a professor of anthropology at Columbia University.

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Cuomo, who has consistently led since launching his campaign on March 1 to challenge Mayor Eric Adams, now faces a shift in the race’s dynamics.

Notably, the poll did not include a ranked-choice voting simulation, but it may reflect a reshuffling in this highly unconventional contest just weeks ahead of the June 24 Democratic primary, according to the report.

The poll, conducted on June 6 and 7 among 573 likely Democratic voters, came shortly after the first televised mayoral debate featuring nine candidates. Just a day earlier, on June 5, Mamdani received a major boost with an endorsement from Rep.

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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez added significant political momentum to his campaign. The poll's methodology — with 39% of responses via landlines and 61% via text messages — appeared to favour Mamdani, who performed strongly among voters responding by text.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Mamdani said if you speak to the people directly about issues they care about, such as the sky-high cost of living, you can successfully build a coalition, regardless of "what we have been told is the politics that can succeed in this city and the ways in which we have been told how to run a campaign and who we actually have to speak to.”

(With inputs from AP and POLITICO)