A new poll spells trouble for socialist New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani should Curtis Sliwa drop out of the race.
The AARP New York survey, published last week, shows that Mamdani, in a head-to-head scenario with former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, leads 44.6% to 40.7% with the vast majority of undecided voters age 50 or older.
Cuomo's support among older voters has increased 9 points since August.
If Cuomo were to drop out instead, Sliwa's support would jump 10 points from August, reaching 31.5%.
"The decisive factor in this race may be the older voters who haven't yet made up their minds," said Stephen Graves, president of Gotham Polling & Analytics.
"If the contest narrows to two leading candidates, the 50-plus electorate — by far the most reliable voting bloc — will likely determine who becomes the next mayor of New York City."
Sliwa, the Republican mayoral nominee, says he is staying in the race despite calls by Cuomo to leave.
"Go hang out with your billionaires in the Hamptons," Sliwa told The New York Times last week of Cuomo after Cuomo pleaded with Republicans to abandon Sliwa and said it would be "very, very hard mathematically" for him to mount a last-minute comeback.
"Leave the streets to me and battling the Zohranistas," Sliwa added.
Sliwa has faced calls to suspend his campaign for months, including from President Donald Trump.
Trump said Sliwa was "not exactly prime time" and made fun of him for rescuing so many cats. Sliwa has openly criticized the president.
The AARP survey, conducted by Gotham Polling & Analytics Oct. 14 and 15 among 1,040 likely general election voters in New York City, also found that Cuomo has gained support following Mayor Eric Adams' withdrawal.
Affordability and safety also dominate concerns among New Yorkers, with cost of living the top issue for nearly two-thirds of voters. Public safety and housing affordability follow closely behind.
Election day in New York City is just 15 days away.
Mamdani in the AARP poll holds 43.2% support, followed by Cuomo (28.9%), Guardian Angels founder Sliwa (19.4%), and 8.4% undecided or preferring another candidate.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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