Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo remains far ahead of the rest of the Democratic primary field after nearly a month as a declared candidate in the 2025 NYC mayor’s race, according to a new poll released on Tuesday.
The same poll also found that 80% of Democratic voters said they would not support Mayor Eric Adams no matter what he says or does.
Cuomo, who resigned in 2021 following 11 allegations of sexual misconduct that he denies, led the Honan Strategy Group poll with 41% of first-round Democratic primary votes. The former governor would then win in the fifth round of ranked-choice counting with 51% of the vote.
The survey further cements Cuomo’s current status as the frontrunner in the race to replace Mayor Adams, and follows a series of other polls before he jumped into the contest that also showed him coming out on top. In the weeks since his March 1 campaign launch, Cuomo has raised $1.5 million and swept up endorsements from several pols, labor unions, and political organizations — many of whom had previously backed Adams.
“We generally don’t comment on polls, but this shows what we all know, the city is in crisis and New Yorkers believe that Andrew Cuomo is the candidate with the experience and the record of results needed to tackle the issues at hand and make New York City a safer and more affordable place for all,” said Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi in a statement.
The group’s survey of 909 city Democratic voters was conducted between March 18-20 and commissioned by Tusk Strategies. The firm’s CEO Chris Coffey supports Cuomo and has reportedly made calls on the former governor’s behalf, but says Tusk commissioned a series of polls with Honan before Cuomo was in the race, and he had nothing to do with conducting them.
Anybody but Adams, poll respondents say
Mayor Adams, who came in 4th in the poll with 6% of the vote, is underwater with most Democratic primary voters, the survey found. Only 15% of Democrats contacted by pollsters indicated they would still consider voting for the embattled mayor in the June 24 primary, which comes as his fundraising has slowed to a trickle and he has hardly campaigned for re-election.
Furthermore, just 10% said they would be open to a prospective independent run in the general election. Adams has not denied rumors that he is considering running as an independent if he loses the primary, when asked by reporters.
Yet Adams’ campaign spokesperson Todd Shapiro insisted the poll does not show the full extent of the mayor’s support.
“These so-called polls are often flawed and fail to reflect the support the Mayor has earned from everyday New Yorkers who see real progress — safer streets, more affordable housing, and a stronger economy,” Shapiro said in a statement. “Mayor Adams remains focused on delivering results, not chasing political headlines. When the time comes, voters will judge him on his record of action, not on unreliable polling snapshots.”
Socialist Mamdani near 20%
Coming behind Cuomo in the poll at 18%, is Democratic socialist Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani (Queens), whose upstart campaign has been gaining momentum over the past couple of months.
Mamdani said the poll shows that he is the candidate best position to defeat Cuomo, given that he is still unknown to 56% of voters and he raised millions of dollars in campaign cash.
“While Cuomo sold out New Yorkers for a book deal, slashed funding for our schools and subways, and curried favor from real estate moguls like Donald Trump, Zohran is laser-focused on the needs of working New Yorkers—and will continue to make that known until Election Day,” the Mamdani campaign said in a statement attacking Cuomo’s $5 million COVID-19 book deal, funding cuts as governor, and close ties to the real estate industry.
Following Mamdani are City Comptroller Brad Lander (8%), Mayor Adams (6%), former Comptroller Scott Stringer and City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams (4%), and state Sens. Jessica Ramos (Queens) and Zellnor Myrie (Brooklyn) (2%).
Former Bronx Assembly Member Michael Blake and businessman Whitney Tilson received 0% of the vote, the poll found.
