A new poll handed New York Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani the strongest showing with Jewish voters of any New York City mayoral candidate despite accusations he has condoned antisemitism. 

Mamdani, who is campaigning to become NYC’s first socialist mayor, holds a 17-point lead with Jewish voters ahead of the November election, according to the survey conducted by groups friendly to his campaign.

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Mamdani outperformed more centrist Democratic competitors in the race, including former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams. Both men are running on independent tickets and have argued that Mamdani, an ardent supporter of the pro-Palestinian movement, harbors sympathy for antisemitic language and policies.

Among Jewish respondents likely to vote in the November mayoral election, 43% said they supported Mamdani, compared to 26% for Cuomo, 15% for Adams, 9% for Republican mayoral nominee Curtis Sliwa, and the remaining 7% split between undecided and attorney Jim Walden.  

The poll results, from Zenith Research and Public Progress Solutions, come amid warnings from both sides of the aisle that Mamdani’s refusal to denounce the phrase “globalize the intifada” marks a refusal to condemn antisemitism. The language is widely viewed as a call for violence against Jews, leading powerful lawmakers and New York colleagues, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), to express doubts about Mamdani’s candidacy. The socialist was expected to release a statement backing away from the phrase earlier this month, but never did so, despite reportedly telling a group of business leaders during a private meeting he would “discourage” use of the phrase among his supporters. 

Mamdani has also stirred criticism due to pledges to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he enters New York and his vocal support for the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, which seeks to isolate Israel economically. 

‘GLOBALIZE THE INTIFADA’: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE PHRASE MAMDANI WON’T CONDEMN

If the NYC mayoral election were held today, Mamdani would win the five-way race with 50% of the vote, according to the poll. Cuomo would get 22% of the vote, Sliwa would receive 13%, Adams would take away 7%, and Walden would finish last with 1% of ballots cast. 

The poll surveyed 1,453 New York City residents between July 16 and July 24. It has a margin of error of 2.9% for registered voters, with slightly higher error rates among likely Jewish voters due to sample size.