A Marist College poll released Wednesday revealed that Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo continues to hold a commanding lead in the 2025 Democratic mayoral race, with Queens Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani a distant second as the June 24 primary fast approaches.
Cuomo, who resigned in 2021 amid nearly a dozen accusations of sexual harassment that he denies, is the first choice of 37% of 3,383 likely Democratic voters whom pollsters contacted between May 1-8.
The poll shows that Cuomo continues to dominate the Democratic primary field just over six weeks out from Election Day, given when it was conducted. This shows that he has already weathered weeks of negative attacks from his opponents. However, Cuomo’s competitors have just recently started hitting TV with attack ads that could dent his lead.
“This shows what we all know, the city is in crisis and New Yorkers believe Andrew Cuomo is the candidate with the experience and the record of results needed to get it back on the right track,” said Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi in a statement. “He’s working hard to earn every vote and we’ve been humbled by the breadth of support from every corner of this great city.”
The moderate former governor has also amassed the most support among local institutional Democratic pols and labor unions and has earned millions of dollars through his campaign and a super PAC backing his run.
Speaker Adams hits third spot
The survey has Mamdani, a Democratic socialist, following Cuomo at 18%, with City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams coming in third at 9% — marking the first time she has entered the field’s top three, and city Comptroller Brad Lander coming fourth at 8%. Mamdani has consistently placed second to Cuomo in a string of recent polls and has serious momentum behind his upstart campaign.
Speaker Adams’ campaign took a victory lap over her gains in the latest poll, up from placing in the low single digits in previous surveys, noting that she boosted her support without yet spending on TV advertising like some of her competitors.
“There’s a clear reason why support for Adrienne has doubled without burning through millions of dollars – New Yorkers finally see a candidate in it for us,” said Missayr Boker, the speaker’s senior campaign adviser.
The survey found that the rest of the crowded field is in the low single digits, and 17% of voters said they are still undecided.
The poll also includes a ranked-choice voting simulation, excluding undecided voters, in which Cuomo leads with 44% in the first round and wins in the 5th with 53%. Mamdani nabs 22% in the first round and finishes second with 29% in fifth, while Lander comes in third at 18%. Speaker Adams starts behind Mamdani in the first round at 11%, but is eliminated in the fourth at 13%.
The poll was conducted when candidates, including Mamdani, Lander, and Brooklyn state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, had only just begun broadcasting their messages through TV ads.
The survey also makes clear that fighting back against President Trump, which has been a central issue in the mayor’s race, is top of mind for Democratic voters. It found that 74% of those polled want the Democratic mayoral candidates to oppose Trump “as much as possible.”
