Mamdani Continues to Lead the Race for NYC's Next Mayor, but Older Voters Could Make or Break This Lead

A repeat of AARP and Gotham Polling & Analytics’ August New York City Election Poll shows Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani continues to lead the race for New York City mayor. Mamdani holds 43.2% support, followed by former Governor Andrew Cuomo (28.9%), Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa (19.4%), and 8.4% undecided or preferring another candidate. However, in a head-to-head matchup between Mamdani and Cuomo, Mamdani’s lead falls to 4%, within the margin of error, with the vast majority of undecided voters age 50 or older.

• Cuomo gains support post-Adams withdrawal: Voters who previously supported Adams have mostly shifted to Cuomo, increasing his support, especially among older voters. If Sliwa exits, Cuomo's support rises to 40.7%, tightening the race with Mamdani. Conversely, if Cuomo drops out, Sliwa's support would increase notably. 
• Affordability and safety dominate concerns: Cost of living remains the top issue for nearly two-thirds of voters, with public safety and housing affordability also key. Despite concerns about the city's direction, optimism about future improvement under new leadership has grown modestly since the August poll.

Methodology

This survey was conducted by Gotham Polling & Analytics in partnership with AARP between October 14–15, 2025, among a representative sample of 1,040 likely general election voters in New York City. Data were collected using a text-to-web methodology. Results were weighted to reflect the demographic composition of the likely November electorate by age, gender, race/ethnicity, borough, party registration, income, and education.

For more information, contact Kate Bridges at kbridges@aarp.org. For media inquiries, contact External Relations at media@aarp.org.