A new New York City polling survey suggests a surprising Cuomo comeback could reshape the NYC mayoral race — if Republican Curtis Sliwa steps aside. The poll, conducted with AARP New York, found former Gov. Andrew Cuomo nearly neck-and-neck with left-wing front-runner Zohran Mamdani in a two-way contest.
According to the data, 44.6% of voters said they would back Mamdani if Sliwa dropped out, while 40.7% would support Cuomo — a result within the 4-point margin of error. With all three candidates in the race, Mamdani leads with 43.2%, compared to 28.9% for Cuomo and 19.4% for Sliwa.
“The decisive factor in this race may be the older voters who haven’t yet made up their minds,” said Stephen Graves, president of Gotham Polling & Analytics. Seventy-eight percent of undecided voters are age 50 or older — a group that could tip the balance in Cuomo’s favor.
Cuomo, 67, has leaned into his experience and attacked Mamdani’s “lack of experience,” calling Sliwa a “spoiler” who could split the anti-socialist vote. “A vote for Curtis Sliwa is really a vote for Mamdani,” Cuomo warned.
Meanwhile, Sliwa fired back during the recent debate, arguing that Cuomo, not he, should exit the race.
The Gotham poll highlights the city’s deep ideological divide: nearly 43% of respondents identified as liberal, compared to just 23% who identified as conservative. But with cost of living (63.6%) and public safety (48.6%) ranking as top voter concerns, analysts say older, moderate New Yorkers may deliver a Cuomo comeback no one saw coming.
