Zohran Mamdani Holds Lead Among Jewish Voters for New York Mayor, New Polls Show -
New York Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani holds a 17-point lead among Jewish voters, a new poll shows, following his shock win in the democratic primary in June. While most Jewish voters prefer another candidate, their support is split among Mamdani's rivals.
A poll from Zenith Research and Public Progress Solutions, which surveyed around 152 Jews, found that 43 percent of Jewish voters citywide support Mamdani, including 67 percent of Jewish voters aged 18 to 44. That same poll showed Mamdani leading all four of his primary opponents combined among Jewish New Yorkers under 45.
In the election in November, Mamdani will go up against former Governor Andrew Cuomo, whom Mamdani beat in the Democratic primary and will now run as an independent; Republican Curtis Sliwa; incumbent Eric Adams, running as an Independent; and Independent Jim Walden.
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The Zenith Research and Public Progress Solutions poll also shows Mamdani leading with 50 percent of the general population's vote, regardless of his opponent.
A poll from GQR of 800 people, commissioned by the New York Solidarity Network – a Jewish organization which campaigned against Mamdani – placed him in slightly lower favor among Jewish voters at 37 percent overall, still ahead of both incumbent mayor Adams and independent candidate Cuomo.
The poll found that Mamdani trails Cuomo among Orthodox and Conservative Jews, who remain his weakest blocs, while performing strongly with Reform, Reconstructionist and secular non-denominational Jewish voters.
According to the GQR poll, attitudes toward Mamdani's alleged antisemitism – something that became a feature of the Cuomo primary campaign, pointing to his anti-Zionist position as antisemitic – show that about half of all Jewish voters said they believe Mamdani is antisemitic. Still, among his own supporters, that number is almost zero.
Those concerns also extend to perceptions of safety. The majority of voters over 50 said they believe New York would be less safe for Jews if Mamdani were elected, while most voters under 40 disagreed.
Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen, left, speaking with NYC Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani in Washington D.C. last month.Credit: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images via AFP
Since Mamdani's primary win, his campaign has widened its Jewish outreach. He has met with rabbis, Jewish elected officials, and policy advocates across denominations. Among his staff, his communications director and several senior advisers are Jewish. His platform includes significant investments in Holocaust education and interfaith safety programs. Last month, he told a room of top business executives that he would not use the phrase "globalize the intifada" and would "discourage" others from invoking it – a marked departure from his position during the primary, when he declined to condemn the slogan.
According to campaign finance disclosures, Mamdani raised over $220,000 from donors who self-identified as Jewish – more than any other candidate in the race.
Several prominent Jewish leaders and advocacy groups, however, have now aligned themselves with the "anyone‑but‑Mamdani" push, casting the Queens assemblyman as an extremist whose positions on Israel place him in open opposition to the values and security concerns of the Jewish community.
People protesting at a rally against Zohran Mamdani on the steps of New York City Hall last month.Credit: Adam Gray/Reuters
This approach gained new significance last month when Cuomo floated the idea of a pact with Mayor Eric Adams – now running as an independent after leaving the Democratic Party amid corruption investigations – and Sliwa, the Republican nominee. Under the proposal, two of the three would drop out and rally behind a single candidate. Both men rejected the overture, with Adams dismissing Cuomo as a "double-digit loser" who could not be trusted.
Even so, efforts to block Mamdani's path continue. Real estate developers and financiers have begun pooling resources into newly formed super PACs aimed at defeating him, the New York Times reported.
Jewish billionaires like Bill Ackman and Ricky Sandler have pledged to pour millions behind any rival candidate, with Sandler committing $500,000 to defeat Mamdani. Ackman vows to spend "hundreds of millions of dollars" to back an opponent.