Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks with supporters at the New York City District Council of Carpenters while campaigning for mayor, Sunday, March 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
As New Yorkers continue to sour on Adams, according to the latest polls, those same surveys also indicate Cuomo is the clear frontrunner. But now that the 2025 mayoral race is apparently Cuomo's to lose, his rivals are zeroing in on the former governor's immense political baggage.
Thanks in part to his near-universal name recognition among New Yorkers, Cuomo was topping the mayoral polls even before he announced his candidacy on March 1.
And Cuomo, who enjoys the backing of a well-financed super PAC supported by deep-pocketed allies, maintained his frontrunner position in the most recent survey, from Quinnipiac University.
CUOMO LAUNCHES MAYOR BID IN AMERICA'S BIGGEST CITY
The survey, conducted just before and just after Cuomo launched his bid, indicated the former governor at 31% support among registered Democrats in New York City, with Adams a distant second at 11%.
Behind Adams, in single digits, was the rest of the roster of Democrats aiming to oust the mayor.
That field includes state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, city public advocate Jumaane Williams, former city comptroller Scott Stringer, current city comptroller Brad Lander, city council speaker Adrienne Adams – who launched her bid after the poll's release – as well as two state senators and a former state assemblyman.
That same survey also indicated Adams' approval rating among New York City voters stood at just 20%, which was the lowest for any New York City mayor in three decades of Quinnipiac polling in the city.
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks at the New York City District Council of Carpenters, Sunday, March 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
A Siena College poll conducted March 2-6 indicated Cuomo's favorable rating among all New York state voters stood at 37% favorable and 51% unfavorable, up from 32%-60% in March 2022, seven months after he resigned as governor.
But Cuomo's favorable rating among New York City voters in the new poll was above water, at 48%-41%.
Rich Azzopardi, a longtime Cuomo spokesman and adviser, told Fox News, "We normally don’t comment on polls but notable that in this survey he’s 48-41 among all New York City voters and 57-29 among Black voters."
Azzopardi argued that Cuomo's "far ahead in every poll actually about the mayor’s race and that’s because New Yorkers know this city is in crisis and Andrew Cuomo is the candidate with the experience, the record and the ability to help save it."
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But with three and a half months to go until the June 24 primary, there's no let-up in the attacks on Cuomo from his rivals.
"The question is: (a) how big of an issue will candidates make Cuomo's baggage in the campaign, and (b) will that strategy resonate with voters?" Quinnipiac's Snow asked.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/scandal-scarred-former-governor-andrew-cuomo-front-runner-nyc-mayoral-race