RACE FOR NY MAYOR TIGHTENS

WHILE FORMER GOVERNOR ANDREW M CUOMO BENEFITED FROM MAYOR ERIC ADAMS'S DEPARTURE, ZOHRAN MAMDANI STILL ENJOYS A SIZEABLE LEAD IN THE LATEST POLL.

- STORY: NICHOLAS FANDOS / NYT

The race to lead New York City has tightened since Mayor Eric Adams exited the contest, but Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee, maintains a 13-point lead a month before Election Day, according to a poll released on Thursday.

The survey, conducted by Quinnipiac University, offered the first detailed snapshot since Mr Adams’ decision to end his flagging campaign in late September.

It indicated that most of the mayor's support transferred to former governor Andrew Cuomo, improving his standing from September, when the pollster found him trailing by 22 points in a four-way contest.

Overall, 46% of likely voters now say they plan to vote for Mr Mamdani, compared with 33% for Mr Cuomo, who is running on a third-party ballot line after losing the Democratic primary in June. About 15% of likely voters support Curtis Sliwa, the Republican nominee.

“The numbers changed,” said Mary Snow, the group’s assistant director. “But the contours of the race haven't.”

The poll, conducted from Oct 3 until Oct. 7, offered Mr Mamdani and Mr Cuomo cause for both optimism and concern. It had a margin of error of 3.9 percentage points.