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<\/p>\nCuomo cuts Mamdani’s big lead in half in NYC mayor’s race in new Suffolk University poll<\/p>\n
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NYC mayoral candidates face off in heated mayoral debate<\/p>\n
Independent Andrew Cuomo, Democrat Zohran Mamdani, and Republican Curtis Sliwa clash in first NYC mayoral debate, trading sharp attacks.<\/p>\n
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo<\/a> has cut in half the double-digit lead of heavy favorite Democratic nominee\u00a0Zohran Mamdani<\/a> with a week to go in the New York City\u00a0mayor\u2019s race<\/a>, according to a new Suffolk University poll.<\/p>\n Cuomo, an independent candidate who has trailed Mamdani by more than 20 points in a September poll, is now behind by 10, the latest Suffolk poll<\/a> released on Oct. 27 revealed.<\/p>\n Mamdani, a democratic socialist state assemblyman, is ahead of Cuomo 44% to 34% in the days leading up to the Nov. 4 election, the poll of 500 voters surveyed by phone between Oct. 23 and Oct. 26 showed. Republican nominee and independent Curtis Sliwa remains steady in third place at 11%.<\/p>\n In September, Suffolk’s poll<\/a> had Mamdani leading Cuomo by 20 points, or 45% to 25%, followed by Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa with 9%, and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams at 8%.<\/p>\n Adams has since dropped out of the mayoral race and is now endorsing Cuomo<\/a>. As a result, a majority of Adams’ votes have gone to Cuomo, said David Paleologos<\/a>, who directs Suffolk’s Political Research Center and led the new NYC mayor’s poll, told USA TODAY.<\/p>\n While Mamdani <\/a>currently has a sizable lead, the new poll adds some suspense to the widely watched mayoral race for America’s most populous city. While Cuomo <\/a>does have some momentum, for him to beat Mamdani, he will need those voters supporting Sliwa to swing his way, Paleologos said.<\/p>\n When Sliwa voters polled this month were asked for their second choice for mayor, they preferred Cuomo to Mamdani by an overwhelming 36% to 2%, Paleologos said.<\/p>\n “Cuomo needs to appeal to Sliwa\u2019s voters. You have this big, powerful Democratic (candidate), and at the 11th hour, the only people who can save him are Sliwa voters who are Republican, so there\u2019s some irony here,” Paleologos said. “They favor Cuomo, and part of the reason is they are anti-Mamdani and more conservative. Maybe they are Trump voters, so they are going to support anybody who is the potential GOP nominee.<\/p>\n “But Cuomo has to make that appeal,” Paleologos said. “He\u2019s still an underdog, and everything has to fall right for him. He is beginning to stage a comeback, though.”<\/p>\n A Cuomo spokesperson on Oct. 27 said the poll shows “momentum is on our side.” The Mamdani campaign did not immediately return USA TODAY’s message seeking comment about the poll.<\/p>\n Cuomo sees big gains among Hispanic and independent voters, Suffolk poll shows<\/p>\n Cuomo\u2019s most dramatic gains have come from Hispanic voters, where he now leads in the Suffolk poll by 1 point, after trailing Mamdani by 30 points in September, Paleologos said.<\/p>\n Paleologos said he doesn’t know specifically why Cuomo is doing well among Hispanics. The pollster said he’s not sure whether Cuomo is doing a direct appeal to them, “if it’s a cultural thing,” or something they liked during the contentious debates.<\/p>\n “But there clearly was a shift. Some Hispanic voters are also more conservative, as we learned during the 2024 presidential election<\/a>,” Paleologos said. “Maybe they are leaning toward the more moderate candidate with more government experience.”\u00a0<\/p>\n