Latest news with #ExpeditionStrategies

Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Mamdani surges in new poll, leading Cuomo for first time in New York mayor's race
NEW YORK — Zohran Mamdani, the young democratic socialist who has been rising in the mayor's race, is now ahead of Andrew Cuomo with just two weeks until the Democratic primary, a new poll reviewed in full by POLITICO found. The survey, conducted by Public Policy Polling for Democrat Justin Brannan's city comptroller campaign, found Mamdani beating Cuomo 35 percent to 31 percent — a difference that is narrowly within the 4.1 percent margin of error. Cuomo has been the constant frontrunner since his March 1 entrance into the race to oust Mayor Eric Adams, with most publicly released polls showing him with comfortable leads. This new survey, which did not include a ranked-choice voting simulation, stands to signal a re-ordering of the highly unusual contest ahead of the June 24 election. The poll of 573 likely Democratic voters was conducted between June 6 and June 7 — after nine candidates faced off in the first televised debate. The following day, June 5, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez endorsed Mamdani, lending political star power to his campaign. Thirty-nine percent of the poll's responses came from landlines and 61 percent from text messages — a methodology that favored Mamdani given his strength with those responding via text, according to the results. The survey showed the race continuing to narrow to a two-person contest between the youngest and oldest candidates in the field. But it didn't offer respondents the chance to rank up to five candidates in order of preference, as they will be able to do on primary day. A Cuomo campaign poll conducted by Expedition Strategies and shared with POLITICO earlier this week found the former governor leading Mamdani by 12 points, 56 percent to 44 percent, after eight rounds of voting. That poll was conducted over the same period as the Public Policy Polling survey showing Mamdani's lead. A separate survey by Data for Progress for a Mamdani-allied super PAC found Cuomo winning by 2 points, 51 percent to 49 percent, also after eight rounds. 'It's telling that the only polls showing this trend line are paid for by Zohran Mamdani Inc," said Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi, referring to Mamdani's choice to cut a fundraising video for Brannan, though that video came after Brannan's team commissioned this poll. "As you know, we have had a poll in the field at the same time and our poll showed a race with us maintaining what has now been a consistent double digit lead for more than three months — which is rare for any NYC Mayoral race in recent memory. It's not lost on us that Politico is the only NYC media outlet that continues to take these outlier polls.' Mamdani's camp took a victory lap. "When you run a disciplined, grassroots campaign relentlessly focused on an agenda to address the crises in working people's lives, these are the results," Mamdani spokesperson Andrew Epstein said. "New York City is so close to turning the page on the corrupt politics of the past and winning a future we can afford." The poll found the remaining candidates, some of whom have been running for far longer, nowhere near the two frontrunners. City Comptroller Brad Lander was the choice of just 9 percent of those surveyed, despite his citywide platform, high rate of campaign spending and long history with New York's left-flank movement. His predecessor, Scott Stringer, who has roots on the vote-rich Upper West Side of Manhattan, received 5 percent. And City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams gained the support of only 4 percent of respondents, despite the high-profile endorsements of New York Attorney General Letitia James and municipal labor powerhouse District Council 37. Support for Mamdani was strongest among white and Asian voters, but 27 percent of Black voters surveyed supported him, as did nearly one-third of Hispanic voters — an indication he is gaining multi-racial support among New Yorkers. Cuomo's lead with Black voters remains particularly durable at 42 percent, the poll found. Mamdani, a member of the state Assembly, has leveraged social media to gain attention in the crowded race, employing slickly produced videos highlighting his platform — like free bus service or government-run grocery stores. His voters don't seem to mind that he hasn't articulated a robust, realistic plan to pay for those programs. What was once a long-shot candidacy by the 33-year-old candidate has evolved into a competitive effort to lead the nation's largest city. Cuomo has sharpened his attacks against Mamdani in recent days by questioning his thin resume and ability to lead a complex city government. The two will face off in another debate Thursday night.

Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Mamdani surges in new poll, leading Cuomo for first time in New York mayor's race
NEW YORK — Zohran Mamdani, the young democratic socialist who has been rising in the mayor's race, is now ahead of Andrew Cuomo with just two weeks until the Democratic primary, a new poll reviewed in full by POLITICO found. The survey, conducted by Public Policy Polling for Democrat Justin Brannan's city comptroller campaign, found Mamdani beating Cuomo 35 percent to 31 percent — a difference that is narrowly within the 4.1 percent margin of error. Cuomo has been the constant frontrunner since his March 1 entrance into the race to oust Mayor Eric Adams, with most publicly released polls showing him with comfortable leads. This new survey, which did not include a ranked-choice voting simulation, stands to signal a re-ordering of the highly unusual contest ahead of the June 24 election. The poll of 573 likely Democratic voters was conducted between June 6 and June 7 — after nine candidates faced off in the first televised debate. The following day, June 5, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez endorsed Mamdani, lending political star power to his campaign. Thirty-nine percent of the poll's responses came from landlines and 61 percent from text messages — a methodology that favored Mamdani given his strength with those responding via text, according to the results. The survey showed the race continuing to narrow to a two-person contest between the youngest and oldest candidates in the field. But it didn't offer respondents the chance to rank up to five candidates in order of preference, as they will be able to do on primary day. A Cuomo campaign poll conducted by Expedition Strategies and shared with POLITICO earlier this week found the former governor leading Mamdani by 12 points, 56 percent to 44 percent, after eight rounds of voting. That poll was conducted over the same period as the Public Policy Polling survey showing Mamdani's lead. A separate survey by Data for Progress for a Mamdani-allied super PAC found Cuomo winning by 2 points, 51 percent to 49 percent, also after eight rounds. 'It's telling that the only polls showing this trend line are paid for by Zohran Mamdani Inc," said Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi, referring to Mamdani's choice to cut a fundraising video for Brannan, though that video came after Brannan's team commissioned this poll. "As you know, we have had a poll in the field at the same time and our poll showed a race with us maintaining what has now been a consistent double digit lead for more than three months — which is rare for any NYC Mayoral race in recent memory. It's not lost on us that Politico is the only NYC media outlet that continues to take these outlier polls.' Mamdani's camp took a victory lap. "When you run a disciplined, grassroots campaign relentlessly focused on an agenda to address the crises in working people's lives, these are the results," Mamdani spokesperson Andrew Epstein said. "New York City is so close to turning the page on the corrupt politics of the past and winning a future we can afford." The poll found the remaining candidates, some of whom have been running for far longer, nowhere near the two frontrunners. City Comptroller Brad Lander was the choice of just 9 percent of those surveyed, despite his citywide platform, high rate of campaign spending and long history with New York's left-flank movement. His predecessor, Scott Stringer, who has roots on the vote-rich Upper West Side of Manhattan, received 5 percent. And City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams gained the support of only 4 percent of respondents, despite the high-profile endorsements of New York Attorney General Letitia James and municipal labor powerhouse District Council 37. Support for Mamdani was strongest among white and Asian voters, but 27 percent of Black voters surveyed supported him, as did nearly one-third of Hispanic voters — an indication he is gaining multi-racial support among New Yorkers. Cuomo's lead with Black voters remains particularly durable at 42 percent, the poll found. Mamdani, a member of the state Assembly, has leveraged social media to gain attention in the crowded race, employing slickly produced videos highlighting his platform — like free bus service or government-run grocery stores. His voters don't seem to mind that he hasn't articulated a robust, realistic plan to pay for those programs. What was once a long-shot candidacy by the 33-year-old candidate has evolved into a competitive effort to lead the nation's largest city. Cuomo has sharpened his attacks against Mamdani in recent days by questioning his thin resume and ability to lead a complex city government. The two will face off in another debate Thursday night.


Politico
2 days ago
- Business
- Politico
Mamdani surges in new poll, leading Cuomo for first time in New York mayor's race
NEW YORK — Zohran Mamdani, the young democratic socialist who has been rising in the mayor's race, is now ahead of Andrew Cuomo with just two weeks until the Democratic primary, a new poll reviewed in full by POLITICO found. The survey, conducted by Public Policy Polling for Democrat Justin Brannan's city comptroller campaign, found Mamdani beating Cuomo 35 percent to 31 percent — a difference that is narrowly within the 4.1 percent margin of error. Cuomo has been the constant frontrunner since his March 1 entrance into the race to oust Mayor Eric Adams, with most publicly released polls showing him with comfortable leads. This new survey, which did not include a ranked-choice voting simulation, stands to signal a re-ordering of the highly unusual contest ahead of the June 24 election. The poll of 573 likely Democratic voters was conducted between June 6 and June 7 — after nine candidates faced off in the first televised debate. The following day, June 5, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez endorsed Mamdani, lending political star power to his campaign. Thirty-nine percent of the poll's responses came from landlines and 61 percent from text messages — a methodology that favored Mamdani given his strength with those responding via text, according to the results. The survey showed the race continuing to narrow to a two-person contest between the youngest and oldest candidates in the field. But it didn't offer respondents the chance to rank up to five candidates in order of preference, as they will be able to do on primary day. A Cuomo campaign poll conducted by Expedition Strategies and shared with POLITICO earlier this week found the former governor leading Mamdani by 12 points, 56 percent to 44 percent, after eight rounds of voting. That poll was conducted over the same period as the Public Policy Polling survey showing Mamdani's lead. A separate survey by Data for Progress for a Mamdani-allied super PAC found Cuomo winning by 2 points, 51 percent to 49 percent, also after eight rounds. 'It's telling that the only polls showing this trend line are paid for by Zohran Mamdani Inc,' said Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi, referring to Mamdani's choice to cut a fundraising video for Brannan, though that video came after Brannan's team commissioned this poll. 'As you know, we have had a poll in the field at the same time and our poll showed a race with us maintaining what has now been a consistent double digit lead for more than three months — which is rare for any NYC Mayoral race in recent memory. It's not lost on us that Politico is the only NYC media outlet that continues to take these outlier polls.' Mamdani's camp took a victory lap. 'When you run a disciplined, grassroots campaign relentlessly focused on an agenda to address the crises in working people's lives, these are the results,' Mamdani spokesperson Andrew Epstein said. 'New York City is so close to turning the page on the corrupt politics of the past and winning a future we can afford.' The poll found the remaining candidates, some of whom have been running for far longer, nowhere near the two frontrunners. City Comptroller Brad Lander was the choice of just 9 percent of those surveyed, despite his citywide platform, high rate of campaign spending and long history with New York's left-flank movement. His predecessor, Scott Stringer, who has roots on the vote-rich Upper West Side of Manhattan, received 5 percent. And City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams gained the support of only 4 percent of respondents, despite the high-profile endorsements of New York Attorney General Letitia James and municipal labor powerhouse District Council 37. Support for Mamdani was strongest among white and Asian voters, but 27 percent of Black voters surveyed supported him, as did nearly one-third of Hispanic voters — an indication he is gaining multi-racial support among New Yorkers. Cuomo's lead with Black voters, remains particularly durable at 42 percent, the poll found. Mamdani, a member of the state Assembly, has leveraged social media to gain attention in the crowded race, employing slickly produced videos highlighting his platform — like free bus service or government-run grocery stores. His voters don't seem to mind that he hasn't articulated a robust, realistic plan to pay for those programs. What was once a long-shot candidacy by the 33-year-old candidate has evolved into a competitive effort to lead the nation's largest city. Cuomo has sharpened his attacks against Mamdani in recent days by questioning his thin resume and ability to lead a complex city government. The two will face off in another debate Thursday night.

Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
New polls show a Cuomo-Mamdani face-off in a tightening New York mayoral race
NEW YORK — The Democratic primary for New York City mayor is effectively a two-person race between Andrew Cuomo and Zohran Mamdani, two new internal polls show. A survey conducted by Data for Progress on behalf of a super PAC for Mamdani found Cuomo up by just two points, while a poll from the ex-governor's camp showed Cuomo with a 12-point lead. Data for Progress, which conducted its text and web poll of 819 likely Democratic voters between May 30 and June 4, found Cuomo starts the ranked-choice race with a seven-point edge. He wins it in the eighth round by a 51-49 split — within the three-point margin of error. It was conducted on behalf of the super PAC New Yorkers for Lower Costs, as well as the national PAC for the Working Families Party — whose local arm is backing the democratic socialist state lawmaker. The findings indicate Mamdani's message of combating income inequality is resonating with voters who routinely rank housing and inflation as leading concerns, despite his rivals' hits on the 33-year-old lawmaker's inexperience. Cuomo's more recent poll of 600 likely Democratic primary voters, conducted between June 3 and 7 by Expedition Strategies, shows him beating Mamdani by 12 points — 56 to 44 — in the eighth round of voting. While it was being conducted, the candidates faced off in their first televised debate on June 4 and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez selected Mamdani as her top choice the following day. During the same period, pro-Cuomo super PAC Fix the City also started blanketing the airwaves and hitting mailboxes with ads saying Mamdani wanted to raise taxes and defund the police. Both surveys show every other candidate in single digits. "This poll makes clear that New Yorkers increasingly want a mayor who is focused on affordability, like Zohran Mamdani, and not a scandal-ridden politician like Andrew Cuomo,' New Yorkers for Lower Costs spokesperson Bill Neidhardt said in a statement. Cuomo resigned from office in 2021, following reports from the state attorney general that he sexually harassed female staffers and under counted nursing home deaths during Covid — all of which he denies. His pollster offered a different take on the findings. 'With five days to go until early voting begins in New York City, our latest poll shows Governor Cuomo with a durable lead and significant advantages over the rest of the field when it comes to critical qualities such as the ability to solve the city's problems,' Pete Brodnitz, founder and president of Expedition Strategies, wrote in a poll memo. His team reached likely voters by phone, including landlines, and text-to-web interviews. It has a 3.9 percent margin of error. The polls are solidifying the shape of the race as it enters its final weeks: Early voting begins Saturday, and the primary is June 24. Most voters' minds are made up by now, but the surveys each found some room for movement, with 8 percent of likely voters in Data for Progress' poll claiming to be undecided about the candidates, compared to 9 percent in the Expedition poll. More than one-quarter of likely voters, 28 percent, told Data for Progress they hadn't heard enough about Mamdani to form an opinion. Those who know him like him, giving him a 58-15 percent favorability rating. Cuomo's was even at 48-49, and just 3 percent of voters didn't know enough about the three-term New York governor to form an opinion. These polls reflect the continued trend in this race to replace Mayor Eric Adams, who is running as an independent following the fallout from his federal indictment: Cuomo is leading, Mamdani is gaining and no one else has found a foothold to climb. "We're confident in our methodology and these results — we have a strong track record here, and believe this snapshot reflects the state of the race as it stood in early June,' said Ryan O'Donnell, deputy executive director of Data for Progress. The firm was accurate in its 2021 mayoral poll just before primary day. The Cuomo campaign survey reached voters through phone calls, including landlines, while the Mamdani poll was on the web only. The samples — the pollsters' expectation of the demographics of voters who will show up to vote — varied only slightly. The Cuomo poll's respondents were 41 percent white, and 30 percent under the age 45, for example, while the Mamdani poll's sample was 42 percent white and 33 percent under 45. Cuomo polls best with Black voters and older voters, while Mamdani leads the field with white voters and younger voters. The most notable difference was how much support each of the leading two candidates picked up when ranked-choice votes were distributed. In Cuomo's poll, the ex-governor maintains his 12-point lead over Mamdani the whole time — suggesting voters who ranked other candidates first are fairly evenly split between the leading contenders. The Mamdani supporters' poll, meanwhile, demonstrates Mamdani picking up 16 percentage points from the first to the eighth round, while Cuomo gains 11. That suggests the anti-Cuomo DREAM strategy — an acronym for Don't Rank Evil Andrew for Mayor, promoted by the Working Families Party — is reaching more voters, who are choosing to leave Cuomo off their ballots entirely. Meanwhile, Cuomo and the main super PAC backing him have started going after Mamdani, who told NBC New York on Monday that indicates his rise in the polls. 'His decision to start focusing on me in the final weeks of this race shows the fact that he is scared,' Mamdani said. 'Scared of the fact where he once had a 40-point lead, it is now in single digits.'


Politico
4 days ago
- Business
- Politico
New polls show a Cuomo-Mamdani face off in a tightening New York mayoral race
NEW YORK — The Democratic primary for New York City mayor is effectively a two-person race between Andrew Cuomo and Zohran Mamdani, two new internal polls show. A survey conducted by Data for Progress on behalf of a super PAC for Mamdani found Cuomo up by just two points, while a poll from the ex-governor's camp showed Cuomo with a 12-point lead. Data for Progress, which conducted its text and web poll of 819 likely Democratic voters between May 30 and June 4, found Cuomo starts the ranked-choice race with a seven-point edge. He wins it in the eighth round by a 51-49 split — within the three-point margin of error. It was conducted on behalf of the super PAC New Yorkers for Lower Costs, as well as the national PAC for the Working Families Party — whose local arm is backing the democratic socialist state lawmaker. The findings indicate Mamdani's message of combating income inequality is resonating with voters who routinely rank housing and inflation as leading concerns, despite his rivals' hits on the 33-year-old lawmaker's inexperience. Cuomo's more recent poll of 600 likely Democratic primary voters, conducted between June 3 and 7 by Expedition Strategies, shows him beating Mamdani by 12 points — 56 to 44 — in the eighth round of voting. While it was being conducted, the candidates faced off in their first televised debate on June 4 and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez selected Mamdani as her top choice the following day. During the same period, pro-Cuomo super PAC Fix the City also started blanketing the airwaves and hitting mailboxes with ads saying Mamdani wanted to raise taxes and defund the police. Both surveys show every other candidate in single digits. 'This poll makes clear that New Yorkers increasingly want a mayor who is focused on affordability, like Zohran Mamdani, and not a scandal-ridden politician like Andrew Cuomo,' New Yorkers for Lower Costs spokesperson Bill Neidhardt said in a statement. Cuomo resigned from office in 2021, following reports from the state attorney general that he sexually harassed female staffers and under counted nursing home deaths during Covid — all of which he denies. His pollster offered a different take on the findings. 'With five days to go until early voting begins in New York City, our latest poll shows Governor Cuomo with a durable lead and significant advantages over the rest of the field when it comes to critical qualities such as the ability to solve the city's problems,' Pete Brodnitz, founder and president of Expedition Strategies, wrote in a poll memo. His team reached likely voters by phone, including landlines, and text-to-web interviews. It has a 3.9 percent margin of error. The polls are solidifying the shape of the race as it enters its final weeks: Early voting begins Saturday, and the primary is June 24. Most voters' minds are made up by now, but the surveys each found some room for movement, with 8 percent of likely voters in Data for Progress' poll claiming to be undecided about the candidates, compared to 9 percent in the Expedition poll. More than one-quarter of likely voters, 28 percent, told Data for Progress they hadn't heard enough about Mamdani to form an opinion. Those who know him like him, giving him a 58-15 percent favorability rating. Cuomo's was even at 48-49, and just 3 percent of voters didn't know enough about the three-term New York governor to form an opinion. These polls reflect the continued trend in this race to replace Mayor Eric Adams, who is running as an independent following the fallout from his federal indictment: Cuomo is leading, Mamdani is gaining and no one else has found a foothold to climb. 'We're confident in our methodology and these results — we have a strong track record here, and believe this snapshot reflects the state of the race as it stood in early June,' said Ryan O'Donnell, deputy executive director of Data for Progress. The firm was accurate in its 2021 mayoral poll just before primary day. The Cuomo campaign survey reached voters through phone calls, including landlines, while the Mamdani poll was on the web only. The samples — the pollsters' expectation of the demographics of voters who will show up to vote — varied only slightly. The Cuomo poll's respondents were 41 percent white, and 30 percent under the age 45, for example, while the Mamdani poll's sample was 42 percent white and 33 percent under 45. Cuomo polls best with Black voters and older voters, while Mamdani leads the field with white voters and younger voters. The most notable difference was how much support each of the leading two candidates picked up when ranked-choice votes were distributed. In Cuomo's poll, the ex-governor maintains his 12-point lead over Mamdani the whole time — suggesting voters who ranked other candidates first are fairly evenly split between the leading contenders. The Mamdani supporters' poll, meanwhile, demonstrates Mamdani picking up 16 percentage points from the first to the eighth round, while Cuomo gains 11. That suggests the anti-Cuomo DREAM strategy — an acronym for Don't Rank Evil Andrew for Mayor, promoted by the Working Families Party — is reaching more voters, who are choosing to leave Cuomo off their ballots entirely. Meanwhile, Cuomo and the main super PAC backing him have started going after Mamdani, who told NBC New York on Monday that indicates his rise in the polls. 'His decision to start focusing on me in the final weeks of this race shows the fact that he is scared,' Mamdani said. 'Scared of the fact where he once had a 40-point lead, it is now in single digits.'