Poll: Cuomo clear leader in hypothetical run for NYC mayor

A new mayoral poll sampling New York City residents gives former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo a 25-point lead over likely Democratic challengers, including Mayor Eric Adams, ahead of a potential June primary for mayor.

The poll of 769 New Yorkers by the Honan Strategy Group shows Cuomo leading the field, with 35% of respondents, followed by New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, with 10%, Adams with 9%, former city Comptroller Scott Stringer at 8%, state Sen. Jessica Ramos, with 6% and state Sen. Zellnor Myrie at 3%.

The poll showed 20% of residents asked were undecided.

Cuomo has not said whether he plans to run for mayor, but the latest poll shows him as a clear favorite, pollsters said. Adams is seeking reelection following a federal indictment on bribery and campaign finance charges. The rest of the field has launched their mayoral campaigns.

A spokesman for Cuomo could not immediately be reached for comment Monday morning after the poll was released.

The poll targeted city Democrats who have a history of voting in Democratic primaries and were identified as likely to vote in the June race.

The poll gives Cuomo an even larger lead in a ranked-choice vote, predicting Adams would be eliminated after five rounds of voting and giving Cuomo a 58% to 17% lead over Lander.

Cuomo also leads on name recognition and ranks high in favorability among other candidates in the race, despite his resignation as governor in 2021 following sexual harassment allegations.

Stringer leads the field in favorability, with 53% approval, followed by Cuomo at 50%.

Adams trailed, with 83% of voters stating an unfavorable viewpoint, outpacing President Donald Trump, who had an 81% unfavorable rating.

Adams’ office could not immediately be reached for comment.

“Many of the candidates for mayor have low familiarity levels and are not well known to voters who will cast a ballot in June,” Honan Strategies said in a press release. “This represents a significant challenge for many of the lesser-known candidates in the race.”

Cuomo also led related to specific issues, including crime, working with the MTA, addressing the influx of immigrants to the city and standing up to the Trump administration, according to the poll.

The poll showed that three-quarters, or 75% of Democratic primary voters, felt the city is headed in the wrong direction, with about 23% of voters stating crime as their primary concern.

More than 80% of respondents disapproved of Adams term as mayor, with 85% of those answering that they did not believe he should be reelected.