Zohran Mamdani would repeat beatdown against Andrew Cuomo in unlikely scenario that field clears: polls

Socialist mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani would still trounce Andrew Cuomo in the general election even if President Trump somehow cleared the field for a one-on-one match-up, according to a new poll published Tuesday.

The sobering survey for ex-governor Cuomo has Mamdani still beating him  — 48 to 44 — even if Mayor Eric Adams and GOP nominee Curtis Sliwa manage to get their names off the ballot, the poll from Siena Research/NY Times shows.

“The big ‘if’ is what would happen if both Sliwa and Adams were to drop out of the race and make it a two-person showdown,” said Siena director Don Levy. “Cuomo would capture the vast majority of both Adams’ and Sliwa’s current support and win a majority of voters over forty-five.”

“At present, Cuomo would need both Adams and Sliwa to drop out in order to close the gap.”

Sliwa has been adamant that he is in the race for the long haul, repeatedly rejecting any potential gigs in a Trump administration, which have only floated unofficially in the press.

Adams, for his part, has been entertaining a cushy landing spot in the federal government, with top White House officials, including special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, trying to find him a prestigious job that would give him cover to drop out.

The four-way race paints a favorable picture for Mamdani, whose approval rating jumped to 52% in the survey, giving him a 22-point lead over Cuomo, 46 to 24.

Sliwa came in third with 15% of the vote — while Adams prospects continued to look bleak, with his support failing again to crack double-digits, with 9%.

“Mamdani holds a huge lead among younger voters while voters forty-five and older are split between Cuomo and Mamdani in the four-way race,” Levy said.

“A lot could change in this race, if Adams and/or Sliwa drop out, or Mamdani could continue to ride his support among young voters and voters concerned about economic issues all the way to Gracie Mansion.”