The Final 3 in the NYC Mayor’s Race: Andrew Cuomo, Zohran Mamdani and Curtis Sliwa.
Photos via Reuters, Lloyd Mitchell and Jonathan Portee
Democrat nominee Zohran Mamdani has widened his lead in the New York City mayor’s race, holding a double-digit advantage over independent Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa, according to a Fox News poll released Thursday.
Among registered voters, Mamdani receives 49% support, followed by Cuomo with 28% and Sliwa with 13%. Mayor Eric Adams, who dropped out after the deadline to remove names from the ballot, was still included in the poll and earned 3%.
When the results are narrowed to likely voters, Mamdani’s lead grows. He captures 52%, compared with 28% for Cuomo, 14% for Sliwa, and 2% for Adams.
The survey, conducted Oct. 10–14 among 1,003 registered voters, including 793 likely voters, indicates that Mamdani’s base appears the most committed: 89% of his registered-voter supporters say they are certain about their choice, compared with 75% of Cuomo’s and 82% of Sliwa’s.
The poll finds 42% of New Yorkers are satisfied with how things are going in the city, up modestly from 37% in September. Crime remains the top concern, cited by 25% of respondents, followed by the cost of living (20%) and housing affordability (16%).
On major issues, voters express more confidence in Mamdani than in his rivals. Nearly half say they trust him most to handle the local economy and cost of living (49%), housing (49%), and taxes (47%). He also leads on crime (40%), ahead of Cuomo at 32% and Sliwa at 26%.
Mamdani, a Queens Assembly Member and Democratic Socialist, is viewed favorably by 58% of voters, up eight points since last month. Cuomo’s favorability stands at 50%, while Sliwa’s is 36%.
Since Fox’s last poll in September, each of the three candidates has improved their public image: Mamdani’s favorability climbed eight points, matching Sliwa’s gain, while Cuomo rose five points. Although Cuomo remains viewed less positively than Mamdani, he has turned his rating around, shifting from a net negative of five points (45% favorable to 50% unfavorable) last month to a slightly positive two-point margin (50% to 48%) in the latest poll.
A Quinnipiac University poll conducted Oct. 3–7 and published earlier this month showed a tighter race, with Mamdani at 46%, Cuomo at 33%, and Sliwa at 15% among likely voters. That survey, taken before the Fox News poll, suggested Cuomo had gained ground after former Mayor Eric Adams exited the race but remained on the ballot. While the Quinnipiac results pointed to a narrowing contest, the newer Fox poll indicates Mamdani has widened his advantage.
In a statement responding to the poll, Mamdani campaign spokesperson Dora Pekec said the results show “a majority of New Yorkers are rejecting Andrew Cuomo’s billionaire-backed politics of the past” and embracing Mamdani’s “movement for a new kind of politics that answers to the people.” She added that Mamdani’s affordability agenda “continues to resonate across the city,” while arguing that Cuomo “has no vision or solutions to offer.”
All three candidates faced off Thursday night in the first general-election debate of the 2025 mayoral race, with Mamdani and Cuomo trading sharp attacks while Republican Curtis Sliwa took aim at both rivals — and at times complained he was being “marginalized” on the debate stage.
Reacting to the Fox News poll results, Maria Sliwa, Media Director for the Sliwa campaign, said she believes the Guardian Angels founder’s performance on the debate stage will move the needle “of baseless polls that had Andrew Cuomo winning the Democratic primary by 20 points and losing by 13 points.”
“We are surging,” she added.
When contacted by amNewYork, the Cuomo campaign did not directly comment on the latest Fox News poll but instead pointed to the former Governor’s showing on Thursday night, saying, “Cuomo is the only candidate that will hit the ground running.”