Third-Party Poll Surprise: Cuomo Breakaway Frontrunner for New York City Mayor

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo decisively beats current New York City Mayor Eric Adams in the next mayoral election, according to a poll among likely Democratic voters.

The new poll commissioned by Progressives for Democracy in America found that Cuomo, who resigned from his position in Albany four years ago amid sexual harassment claims, was the most popular pick for the ranked-choice election later this year, per a Monday report from Politico, which obtained the poll results.

Cuomo was the favorite candidate for 32 percent of the likely Democratic voters. He was followed by former New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer at 10 percent, current Comptroller Brad Lander at 8 percent, and State Sen. Jessica Ramos at 7 percent.

Adams was the top choice for a mere 6 percent of respondents, tying with State Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani.

That poll was conducted between Dec. 16 and Dec. 22, according to Politico.

The Democratic primary election which will likely anoint the next mayor is slated for June 24.

Alan Minsky, director of Progressives for Democracy in America, said that the group “commissioned the poll to see which candidates might be competitive with Cuomo, given his huge name recognition advantage.”

Sentiment in the Big Apple is presently turning against Adams, who faces federal charges of bribery and conspiracy offenses.

The official allegedly “used his prominent positions in New York City government to obtain illegal campaign contributions and luxury travel” from foreign sources, according to a September news release from the Justice Department.

But Adams dismissed the poll results on Monday during a news conference at City Hall.

“No one is going to outwork me,” Adams said, according to a report from the New York Daily News.

“I am so committed authentically to New Yorkers. They connect with me. I went through some difficult hurdles,” he continued. “It’s amazing I’m still in it with the number of things I had to go through, but I’m still here.”

There are some signs that Cuomo, who also faced criticism for his handling of the COVID crisis ahead of his resignation (especially over his alleged cover-up of COVID death statistics among nursing home residents) is setting the stage for a political comeback.

Cuomo changed his voter registration address to a Manhattan apartment last fall, and he has been in talks with officials and other influential figures about a potential primary run, per a Saturday report from CNN.

Rich Azzopardi, a spokesman for the former governor, told CNN that “a lot of people have come to him saying the city is in crisis and it needs to be fixed, and they think he’s the guy to do it because of his track record.”

“He just hasn’t decided yet. It’s purely personal, it’s whether or not he wants to commit the time and the energy,” the spokesman added.

“He was 24-7 as governor. It’s a major commitment. It’s something he and his family are talking about.”

Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.