Photo: Kena Betancur/AFP/Getty Images

In just a few weeks, Zohran Mamdani will be sworn in as mayor, making history as the youngest person in generations to lead the city as well as the first Muslim. And according to new polling, the mayor-elect will be entering City Hall as popular as ever, thanks to a surge in support from his soon-to-be constituents and beyond.

A Siena College poll released Tuesday showed 46 percent of New Yorkers statewide had a favorable opinion of Mamdani compared with 31 percent unfavorable. Twenty-three percent of respondents said they didn’t know or had no opinion. This marks a notable increase over last month’s Siena poll, which had Mamdani’s favorability rating holding at 40 percent favorable and 40 percent unfavorable. In New York City, Mamdani’s favorables grew even more, to 61 percent, compared with 23 percent unfavorable and 16 percent of respondents saying they were unsure or had no opinion.

When asked if Mamdani’s election would be good for the city, 49 percent of New Yorkers statewide said it would be good compared with 32 percent who said it would be bad. In New York City, 66 percent of respondents said Mamdani would be good, compared with 25 percent who answered in the negative. The poll surveyed 801 registered New York voters and was conducted from December 8 to December 12 with a 4.1 percent margin of error.

Some of Mamdani’s signature campaign policies also received strong support from the New Yorkers surveyed. On the state’s raising taxes for the top 5 percent of earners, 58 percent of New Yorkers said they approved of the move compared with 35 percent opposed to it. That figure increased to 64 percent approved to 29 percent opposed in New York City. On universal child care, 65 percent of New Yorkers said they approved of the policy, while 27 percent were opposed. In New York City, that figure increased to 74 percent in favor to 20 percent opposed.

The poll had some good news for Governor Kathy Hochul as well. It showed her outperforming both her Democratic and Republican challengers, a signal of the strength regarding her chances of reelection next year. When asked about the Democratic primary, 56 percent of New Yorkers said they would back Hochul, while only 13 percent said they would support Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado. And in a potential general-election matchup between Hochul and Republican representative Elise Stefanik, the governor received 49 percent to Stefanik’s 30 percent. When facing off against Nassau County executive Bruce Blakeman, Hochul received 50 percent to his 25 percent.

More on Zohran Mamdani

Zohran Mamdani Is Now Even More PopularA Fascinating Primary Is Brewing in Lower Manhattan and BrooklynCan Zohran Mamdani Get a Democratic Socialist Elected to Congress?


From Intelligencer - Daily News, Politics, Business, and Tech via this RSS feed