The race for New York City mayor has tightened considerably, with ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo cutting front-runner Zohran Mamdani’s lead in half from a month ago, according to a new poll.
Mamdani, the Democratic nominee, now leads Cuomo, who is running as an independent, by just 44% to 34% among likely Big Apple voters, the Suffolk University survey found. Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa holds third place with 11% support.
This marks a significant shift from Suffolk University’s prior poll conducted in September, where Mamdani had a commanding 20-point lead over Cuomo. The latest survey is Suffolk’s first since Mayor Eric Adams completely dropped his re-election bid and endorsed Cuomo.
Cuomo’s support has surged notably among key demographics. He is now running roughly even with Mamdani among Hispanic voters, after trailing by 30 points in the September poll. Additionally, Cuomo leads among independents by 10 points, a dramatic flip from a month ago when he trailed Mamdani by 18 points among non-party-affiliated voters.
Seven percent of voters remain undecided, while the four other candidates on the ballot collectively garner 2% support. Sliwa remains a significant factor in the race, as he and Cuomo are splitting the anti-Mamdani vote, making it more difficult to defeat the democratic socialist Queens assemblyman.
Many of Sliwa’s supporters would back Cuomo if the Guardian Angels founder were not in the race, the poll found. “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. “That person isn’t Mayor Eric Adams, Representative Hakeem Jeffries, Senator Chuck Schumer, or any New York billionaire. It’s Republican Curtis Sliwa, whose voters hold the 11% blocking Cuomo from winning the race,” he added.
When asked about their second choice, 36% of Sliwa voters selected Cuomo, while only 2% chose Mamdani, the poll revealed.
The Suffolk University telephone survey of 500 likely general election voters was conducted from Thursday through Sunday and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.
Other candidates listed on the ballot include Adams, who recently endorsed Cuomo; Conservative Party nominee Irene Estrada; and independents Joseph Hernandez and Jim Walden.
Monday marks the third of nine days of early voting preceding the November 4 election.
https://nypost.com/2025/10/27/us-news/andrew-cuomo-narrows-gap-against-zohran-mamdani-in-nyc-mayoral-race-new-poll/
