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By Sophie Clark
Live News Reporter
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Zohran Mamdani, the socialist mayoral candidate for New York City, is catching up to Andrew Cuomo in the polls for the Democratic primary.
Mamdani, 33, is currently a New York assemblymember and has been running a grassroots campaign largely against former Governor Cuomo.
Despite Cuomo, 67, holding the lead in March, in part because of sizable name recognition, he is now only two points ahead of Mamdani in a poll on the final ballot of the primary's rank-choice voting system.
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Mamdani is also polling as 10 percent more favorable than Cuomo, at 58 percent to Cuomo's 48 percent, according to a new Data for Progress poll.
The poll surveyed 819 likely Democratic primary voters between May 30 to June 4, 2025.
Rich Azzopardi, a spokesperson for the Cuomo campaign, told Newsweek that the poll is "10 days old," and "just off."
He pointed Newsweek to a poll of 600 potential voters by the Cuomo campaign that shows Cuomo winning by 56 percent to Mamdani's 44 percent in the final round of voting.
Why It Matters
New York City has not had a Republican mayor since Michael Bloomberg (who became unaffiliated in 2009), and although a Republican candidate could still win the mayoral election, it is likely that the winner of the Democratic primary will become mayor.
Mamdani's campaign has pointed to Cuomo's millions raised from corporate donations and his resignation after a report said he sexually harassed multiple female employees.
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What To Know
The primary election is a rank-choice voting election, meaning voters have the opportunity to rank their five top choices for mayor.
According to the Data for Progress poll, Mamdani falls behind Cuomo in a 40 percent to 33 percent split for the first two rounds of voting, but as other candidates get eliminated and their vote share redistributed, Mamdani manages to pull almost even with the former governor.
Mamdani's grassroots fundraising drives resulted in him reaching the maximum limit of donations, including a public match in late March.
According to Catherine Lindsay, a 28 year-old entertainment manager based in Brooklyn, Mamdani's ground game is "unbeatable."
Lindsay told Newsweek: "I've never seen so many people excited to canvass."
Cuomo, on the other hand, has been funded largely by super PACs and corporate donors, such as DoorDash and real estate developers. According to reporting from The City, Cuomo's "Fix This City" PAC received $2.7 million from people with business ties to New York City.
Cuomo says that Mamdani is inexperienced, and his policies of a rent freeze, free public buses, and city-owned grocery stores are not achievable without higher taxes.
Mamdani, who has been endorsed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) as her top pick for mayor, says his policies will drive down the cost of living for working-class New Yorkers. In an interview with the New York Times, Mamdani said that affordability is the most important issue facing New Yorkers at the moment.
Daniel Levesque, a filmmaker and frequent Mamdani canvasser, told Newsweek that the AOC endorsement has likely played a significant role in his increased popularity and name recognition, although this Data for Progress poll was completed prior to her endorsement.
"What's not to like [about him]?" Levesque, 26, told Newsweek.
He said he appreciates how Mamdani has put out a clear tax plan about how he plans to fund his sweeping changes, and that although Mamdani's name recognition is still falling behind Cuomo's, when people hear about his policies—especially his free bus plan—they respond very positively.
Speaking about how Mamdani is currently running against other Democrats, Levesque said: "Other candidates speak in half measures that feel like they'll be compromised. Republicans don't temper their expectations…Democrats feel this need to compromise within themselves. It's refreshing to see a candidate say 'No, this is what I want and what you want so let's go and get it.'"
In March, a Data for Progress poll found Mamdani was polling at 15 percent. Now, according to the same polling organization, he has jumped by nearly 20 points.
Although his campaign initially appeared to be appealing only to young, online, voters due to his heavy use of social media, this new poll shows that Mamdani's appeal is beginning to reach Democratic voters beyond those who are frequently online.
One Upper West Side grandmother who wants to remain anonymous told Newsweek: "There is a chance for real change in Zohran and we desperately need it. Cuomo and Eric Adams are tainted.
"He is really representing hope. My grandson is speaking passionately on his behalf. It reminds me of how Obama got our attention with his clear, strong voice.
"Housing [and] rent control are two huge issues I trust only with Zohran Mamdani."
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What People Are Saying
Daniel Levesque, Mamdani canvasser, told Newsweek: "Every candidate tried their hardest to speak to affordability. He's one of the few candidates who has bold visions for making this city more affordable."
Catherine Lindsay, a Mamdani supporter, told Newsweek: "His commonsense approach to the affordability of the city—free buses and city-owned grocery stores feel achievable and concrete. Additionally, the way he talks about small businesses, like assigning them each advisers to help navigate the red tape around NYC grants and taxes, really resonates with me."
Zohran Mamdani told the New York Times: "There are far too many New Yorkers who do not know if they will be able to call themselves that next year, who do not know if they will be able to afford their rent, or their child care, their groceries, or even their MetroCard.
"This is a city that we want to ensure does not become a museum or a relic of the working-class people who built it, but rather a living, breathing testament to the continuation of that story."
Andrew Cuomo told the New York Times when asked what the most pressing issue is for New Yorkers: "Lack of management capacity evidenced through all of the above [affordability, public safety, President Trump or something else]. Lack of affordable housing, deterioration of quality of life—they all stem from poor management. Then the existential threat is Trump."
What Happens Next
The last day to register as a New York City voter is June 14. The mayoral primary is on June 24, and the mayoral general election is on November 4.
Update 6/10/25, 12:26 p.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Catherine Lindsay.
Update 6/11/25, 4:43 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Rich Azzopardi, a spokesperson for the Cuomo campaign.
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