Democratic Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, who has drawn national and international attention after his stunning victory in the New York City mayoral primary, remains comfortably ahead of Democratic and Republican hopefuls for November 4 elections.
A new Slingshot Strategies poll reveals that Mamdani has 36 percent of the vote. His closest Democratic rival is former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo with 27 percent, making it almost the double-digit difference.
The poll sought opinions of registered voters in NYC from July 2 to 6 to determine where the candidates stand at the moment
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New York City’s incumbent Mayor Eric Adams is third among Democrats with 14 percent vote.
Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa manages 16 percent of the vote while independent candidate Jim Walden gets 2 percent in the poll.
Mamdani has been under spotlight for his views on Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s conduct of war in Gaza. He has also faced scrutiny and sweeping attacks from some Conservative politicians and influencers.
For the Democrats, Mamdani’s emergence through grassroots activism and appeal to a wider swathe of voters has come as a moment of reflection. Analysts note that Mamdani’s win reflects that the Democratic voting base no longer blindly follows traditional politics and the party must contend with the new realities.
The 33-year-old rising Muslim politician won the primary on a wave of promises to make housing affordable, fix the unaffordable public transit and address the cost-of-living and education issues in the expensive New York City.
However, the self-described Democratic Socialist’s proposal to introduce higher taxes for residents of the city’s rich neighborhoods has also drawn criticism.
The Slingshot Strategies poll also sought people’s opinion about the prospective candidates for the November election.
Mamdani had a 40 percent favorable view among voters while 36 percent had an unfavorable view of the Democratic primary winner.
Cuomo mustered up a 44 percent total favorable rating but also had a higher 46 unfavorable rating, according to the poll.
Adams fared with the least favorable rating of 28 percent while 62 percent of voters expressed an unfavorable view of him.
While top Democratic establishment leaders including former president Bill Clinton and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have praised Mamdani for running a smart campaign, they have not yet endorsed him fully.
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Iftikhar Ali is a veteran Pakistani journalist, former president of UN Correspondents Association, and a recipient of the Pride of Performance civil award
