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AARP New York-Siena College Poll: Cuomo Leads Field in NYC Mayoral Race, Powered by Support from Older Voters

AARP

Published April 15, 2025

Poll Highlights Affordability, Crime, and Housing as Top Voter Concerns 94% Say Cost of Living in NYC Is a Serious Problem; 62% think city is headed in the wrong direction

NEW YORK — Former Governor Andrew Cuomo leads the field in the race for New York City mayor, according to a new poll of registered city voters released today by AARP New York and the Siena College Research Institute (SCRI). When respondents were asked for their first choice, Cuomo received 34% votes in the poll, placing him well ahead of Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani (16%), Comptroller Brad Lander (6%), former Comptroller Scott Stringer (6%), and City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams (6%). Under New York City’s ranked choice voting system, Cuomo ultimately crossed the 50% threshold after 6 candidates were eliminated, with Mamdani finishing at 27% and Lander at 19%.

Cuomo’s performance in the poll was fueled by overwhelming support from older New Yorkers. Among voters age 50 and older, Cuomo received 42% of first-choice votes — by far the highest of any candidate. This is crucial, as older voters make up the largest and most reliable voting bloc in primary elections—in New York’s June 2024 primary, voters aged 50 and over accounted for 72% of the total turnout. Cuomo also performed strongest with voters without a college degree, earning 48% support in that group.

“Older New Yorkers are engaged, informed, and eager to shape the future of their city — and this poll shows their voices will make the difference in the race for mayor,” said Beth Finkel, AARP New York State Director. “The issues most important to older New Yorkers — affordability, housing, safety, and aging in place — must be front and center in this campaign. Candidates ignore older voters at their peril.”

“New Yorkers are giving the mayoral candidates a clear message – if you want my vote, tell me how you’re gonna make life in the Big Apple more affordable and how you’re gonna increase the supply of affordable housing,” said SCRI’s director, Don Levy. “Crime remains a concern of voters, but over 90% say just affording life is a problem across all of New York City.”

The poll also reveals deep dissatisfaction with the current direction of the city. Just 21% of respondents believe New York City is on the right track, while 62% say it is headed in the wrong direction.

Key Findings:

Affordability Crisis: A striking 94% of voters said that “the affordability of life here in New York City” is either a very serious or somewhat serious problem.
Housing Struggles: 88% said the availability of affordable housing is a very serious or somewhat serious problem.
Public Safety Concerns: 79% of voters cited crime as a very or somewhat serious problem, and 77% expressed concerns about pedestrian safety on streets and sidewalks.
Aging in Place: 71% of respondents said developing programs to help people remain in their homes or communities as they age should be a priority for the next mayor.
Retirement Outlook: Only 21% of respondents said they’d be able to retire in New York City, while 50% said they would need to move to a location with a lower cost of living.

On a lighter note, 63% of New Yorkers said pizza is the most iconic New York City food, followed by bagels (25%), hot dogs (8%), and pretzels (2%).

This Siena College Poll, sponsored by AARP New York, was conducted April 7–10, 2025, among 811 registered voters in New York City. Of these, 556 identified as registered Democrats. The poll was conducted using a mix of landline, cell phone, and online interviews, with a margin of error of ±3.7 percentage points for all voters and ±4.9 percentage points for Democrats. The full methodology is available upon request.