Polls show Mamdani leading five-way NYC race but vulnerable to Cuomo

A new round of polling shows New York City mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani leading a crowded five‑way field but vulnerable in a direct matchup with former governor Andrew Cuomo, underscoring how the outcome of the November election could hinge on whether other candidates remain on the ballot and how voters respond to questions about crime, experience and ideology. The Tulchin Research survey, commissioned by the New York Apartment Association and conducted Aug. 7 to 14 with 1,000 likely voters, gave Mamdani 42 percent in a five‑person contest to Cuomo’s 26 percent, with Republican Curtis Sliwa at 17 percent, incumbent Eric Adams at 9 percent and independent Jim Walden at 3 percent. In a hypothetical one‑on‑one test, the poll found Cuomo would defeat Mamdani 52 to 41.

Other recent polls have similarly shown Mamdani with a multi‑candidate edge while producing mixed results in head‑to‑head scenarios. An American Pulse Research survey in mid‑August placed Mamdani at roughly 37 percent in a comparable sample of likely voters, while an AARP poll conducted Aug. 11 gave him 42 percent. Those polls and interviews underscore how turnout and candidate dynamics could reshape the contest...