Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has sliced into democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani's lead in the New York City mayoral race roughly a week before Election Day, according to a Suffolk University poll released Monday.
It is the first public poll in the past three months to show the race this close, among more than 15 surveys listed by RealClearPolitics.
The poll of 500 likely voters, taken Oct. 23-26, found Cuomo trailing Mamdani by 10 percentage points (44%-34%), half the margin Mamdani held in Suffolk's September survey.
The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points. Republican Curtis Sliwa received 11% of the vote, while 7% were undecided.
Sliwa has resisted calls to withdraw from the race amid polling that suggests his exit would help Cuomo. Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams withdrew last month and announced Thursday that he is backing Cuomo.
"There is one person in New York City whose voters could have an outsized impact on the outcome," said David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center, in a news release.
"That person isn't Mayor Eric Adams, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, Sen. Chuck Schumer, or any New York billionaire. It's Republican Curtis Sliwa, whose voters hold the 11% blocking Cuomo from winning the race.
"And when asked for their second choice, those voters preferred Cuomo over Mamdani 36% to 2%."
Cuomo, running as an independent, was walloped by Mamdani in the Democratic primary. Mamdani, who would become New York's first Muslim mayor if elected, has drawn strong backing from progressive figures including Gov. Kathy Hochul, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.
But concerns about Mamdani's election center on his radical progressive agenda, which includes rent freezes, steep tax increases on high-income residents and businesses, and major public-service expansions.
Critics warn such policies could strain the city budget and drive employers away.
His past remarks on policing, labeling the New York Police Department "racist" and calling for major reforms, and his comments on Israel have raised alarms among law enforcement officials and Jewish community leaders who fear his leadership could deepen divisions or hinder public-safety cooperation.
The poll showed Cuomo's strongest gains among Hispanic voters, where he now leads Mamdani 39% to 38%.
In September, Mamdani held a 30-point advantage in that demographic.
Among independents, Cuomo now leads 38% to 28% after trailing by 18 points last month.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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