A new poll shows anti-Israel activist Zohran Mamdani leading New York’s mayoral race, sparking outrage and urgent mobilization among pro-Israel voters.
A bombshell New York City mayoral poll released Monday has sent shockwaves through the political landscape, showing Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani — a far-left, openly anti-Israel activist — holding a double-digit lead over independent Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa.
According to the AARP/Gotham poll of 1,040 likely voters, Mamdani leads with 43.2%, followed by Cuomo at 28.9% and Sliwa at 19.4%. However, in a head-to-head matchup, Mamdani’s lead narrows to just four points (44.6%–40.7%), with 15% undecided — signaling deep volatility and voter uncertainty. The poll’s margin of error is ±4%.
The Sliwa campaign blasted the poll as biased, calling it “a press release printed at Cuomo headquarters.” Spokesman Daniel Kurzyna said, “Even with loaded questions, the numbers confirm what New Yorkers know: Curtis Sliwa’s movement is surging. Our voters won’t touch Andrew Cuomo — the man who resigned in disgrace — and certainly not a radical like Mamdani.”
Cuomo’s campaign, meanwhile, framed the contest as a two-way race between Cuomo and Mamdani, claiming that once voters realize Sliwa’s low ceiling, “they’ll rally behind Cuomo to save the city.” Cuomo aides described Mamdani as “divisive, extreme, and utterly unfit to lead the greatest city in the world.”
The controversy around Mamdani’s candidacy has only deepened in recent weeks. The Queens assemblyman, long criticized for his anti-Israel rhetoric, has refused to condemn the “globalize the intifada” slogan and attacked Israel just one day after the October 7 Hamas massacre. He later declared that he would no longer use the IHRA definition of antisemitism, a move denounced by Jewish organizations nationwide.
Mamdani has accused Israel of “war crimes” during its war against Hamas and dodged direct questions about Hamas’s disarmament during a Fox News interview with Martha MacCallum. When pressed, he gave vague answers about “justice and safety” before finally conceding in a later debate that Hamas “should lay down their arms” — while doubling down on calling Israel’s counterterror operations a “genocide.”
His comments have outraged New York’s Jewish community, which represents nearly 14% of the city’s population. After Mayor Eric Adams abruptly dropped out — reportedly under White House pressure to help Cuomo consolidate the moderate vote — multiple Jewish advocacy groups swiftly endorsed Cuomo, warning that a Mamdani victory would mark a disaster for Jewish safety and pro-Israel policy in America’s largest city.
“This isn’t just a mayoral race,” one Jewish leader said. “It’s a fight for the moral soul of New York — between those who defend terrorism and those who stand with Israel.”
