(NewsNation) — Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani currently holds a strong lead in recent polls for New York City mayor, but if Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa were to drop out of the race, that all could change.
According to a recent poll by Gotham Polling & Analytics in partnership with AARP, Mamdani currently holds 43.2% support, followed by independent candidate and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo at 28.9%, Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa at 19.4%, and 8.4% are undecided or preferring another candidate.
However, the numbers change significantly if Sliwa drops out: The poll indicates that there would only be a 4% gap between Mamdani and Cuomo, with Mamdani (44.6%) narrowly beating out Cuomo (40.7%).
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Sliwa has refused to drop out of the race so far
Cuomo’s supporters and people who oppose Mamdani’s democratic socialist ideals have urged Sliwa to drop out of the race. However, he has made it clear on multiple occasions that he has no intentions of doing so.
Sliwa told NewsNation’s Elizabeth Vargas earlier this month that he had been offered money to drop out but refused. Despite recent polling suggesting otherwise, he remains confident in his ability to compete against the other two candidates.
But as the general election for New York City’s mayoral race approaches Tuesday, November 4, time is running out for Sliwa and Cuomo to gain ground on Mamdani.
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Trump: Mamdani would be ‘disaster’ for NYC
President Donald Trump has taken several opportunities to criticize Mamdani’s candidacy over the past several months.
“If you have a communist mayor, I think it’s going to be very tough for him and for the city,” Trump told reporters last night.
Just last week, Trump threatened to withhold funding and deploy troops to New York City if Mamdani is elected.
“President Trump has called me many things,” Mamdani told reporters last Tuesday. “We will continue to receive funding from the federal government, and it’s not because of President Trump’s generosity. It’s because it is the law. And just because he utters something does not make it the law.”
