Days after being endorsed by fellow democratic socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Zohran Mamdani is leading former Governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary for New York City mayor for the first time, according to a poll released on Wednesday.
The poll, conducted by Public Policy Polling for Democrat Justin Brannan’s city comptroller campaign, showed Mamdani leading the primary 35% to Cuomo’s 31%, within a margin of error of 4.1 percentage points. The survey of 573 likely Democratic voters was conducted on June 6-7, one day after AOC endorsed Mamdani.
The results indicate that the primary has effectively narrowed to a two-person contest between Mamdani and Cuomo, with no other candidates breaking double digits, despite endorsements from a plethora of top New York Democratic officials.
Mamdani, 33, elected to the State Assembly in 2020, has positioned himself as a leftist alternative to Cuomo’s more moderate brand of Democratic politics, campaigning on free public bus fares, free child care, and city-run grocery stores. The self-described democratic socialist has yet to present any realistic plan to pay for these programs, which would require roughly $10 billion in funding for an already cash-strapped city.
Mamdani’s rise in the polls follows his effective use of social media to promote his platform and strategic partnerships with other far-Left Democrats. His campaign has capitalized on Ocasio-Cortez’s endorsement to build momentum ahead of the June 24 primary.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a once-in-a-generation leader who has led the fight for working people in Congress.
In 2018, she shocked the world and transformed our politics.
On June 24, with @AOC’s support and this movement behind us, we will do the same. pic.twitter.com/cRJI1dUTzG
— Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@ZohranKMamdani) June 5, 2025
“When you run a disciplined, grassroots campaign relentlessly focused on an agenda to address the crises in working people’s lives, these are the results,” Mamdani spokesperson Andrew Epstein said. “New York City is so close to turning the page on the corrupt politics of the past and winning a future we can afford.”
Cuomo’s campaign has disputed the poll results, with spokesperson Rich Azzopardi telling POLITICO that their internal polling shows the former governor maintaining “a consistent double-digit lead for more than three months.” The Cuomo spokesman complained that “the only polls showing this trend line are paid for by Zohran Mamdani Inc,” and, “It’s not lost on us that Politico is the only NYC media outlet that continues to take these outlier polls.”
According to POLITICO, the poll methodology might have slightly favored Mamdani, as 61% of responses came from text messages rather than landlines.
The former governor has recently sharpened his attacks against Mamdani, questioning his “thin resume” and ability to lead New York City’s complex government. Cuomo maintains 42% support among black voters, while Mamdani showed the strongest appeal with white and Asian voters.
Ranked choice voting, which will be used in the Democratic primary in two weeks, was not simulated in the survey. However, a recent Emerson poll showed Mamdani performing better in later rounds of ranked choice voting than in early rounds by picking up second-choice votes after other candidates are eliminated, which could indicate an even larger lead than the PPP poll suggests.
In ranked-choice voting, voters rank up to five candidates in order of preference, and if no candidate receives more than 50% of first-choice votes, the last-place candidate is eliminated and their votes are redistributed based on voters’ next choices until someone wins a majority.
Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, running as an independent this cycle, has been far behind both Mamdani and Cuomo in general election polling, and is reportedly courting Big Apple Republicans for support. Adams, who made an alliance with Trump border czar Tom Homan earlier this year, moved to open an ICE office on Rikers Island and cooperated to indict 27 alleged Tren de Aragua members.
Cuomo and Mamdani will face each other again in a debate Thursday night, where Cuomo is expected to continue highlighting Mamdani’s limited government experience and the fiscal impact of his policy proposals.
All gas, no breaks. pic.twitter.com/gCR7pYU9uT
— Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@ZohranKMamdani) June 12, 2025