Fox News Voter Poll: NYC’s Zohran Mamdani defeats legacy political figures

Democrat Zahran Mamdani He won the New York City mayoral election, winning large swaths of voters and defeating independent candidate Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa. His campaign for a new direction was the answer many New Yorkers were looking for.

Preliminary results from fox news voter poll, A poll of more than 4,700 registered voters in the city shows that Mamdani’s path to victory was supported by a young, ethnically diverse coalition of New Yorkers. He won most demographic groups by a wide margin.

Mamdani, who will be one of New York’s youngest mayors, has benefited from a strong coalition of young voters. Three-quarters of voters under 30 voted for the Democrat, while older voters, especially seniors, voted for Cuomo by double digits.

Zahran Mamdani stuns New York City as voters hand power to the far-left wing of Democrats

Zahran Mamdani received the most support among voters in New York City, according to a Fox News poll of voters. (Fox News)

Voters under the age of 30 had the most support for the Democratic nominee with more than three-quarters of them supporting him.

Mamdani was the preferred candidate among all ethnic groups, and performed best among black and Asian voters. The race was closer among Hispanic voters, who ultimately split in favor of Mamdani by a narrow margin. Cuomo narrowly lost white voters, while boosting support from white male voters helped him remain competitive.

Mamdani was also favored among voters with college degrees, while voters without college degrees went for Cuomo.

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Two-thirds of Democrats sided with Mamdani on como, While only 3 in 10 Democrats voted for the former Democratic governor. after President Trump After his last-minute endorsement of Andrew Cuomo, 7 in 10 Republicans voted for the independent rather than their party’s nominee, Curtis Sliwa, who had the support of about a quarter of his party. The bulk of independents supported Cuomo, while a smaller number supported Mamdani.

How Democrats voted in the New York City mayoral race, according to a Fox News poll. (Fox News)

About a quarter of New York City voters describe themselves as democratic socialists. Among Democrats, that number jumps to nearly 4 in 10. By a wide margin, these voters support a self-described democratic socialist.

About a quarter of New York City voters identified as Democratic Socialists. (Fox News)

Among Republicans in New York City, about half identified as MAGA. They split their votes between Sliwa and Cuomo, with about two-thirds favoring the independent.

Jewish voters supported Cuomo by a margin of nearly two to one. Among this key voting bloc, there was a clear generational divide: About half of Jewish voters under 45 supported Mamdani while about 7 in 10 of those over 45 supported Cuomo.

Cuomo also maintained his margins of victory among Catholics and other Christian voters. Mamdani, who would become the first Muslim mayor of New York City, won over a majority of Muslim, non-religious and Protestant voters.

Most voters in New York felt the candidates’ positions On Israel It was at least a minor factor in determining their vote for mayor. Those who said it was a major factor in their vote were evenly split, while those who felt it was only a secondary factor favored Mamdani. Israel was a major factor in the vote of about half of Jewish voters, who defected overwhelmingly in favor of Cuomo.

How important is the situation in Israel to voters in the New York City mayoral race? (Fox News)

In a hypothetical two-way contest between Mamdani and Cuomo, voters split their support between the two major candidates, with Mamdani receiving a higher share than Cuomo, albeit by a smaller margin.

Mamdani led Cuomo by the narrowest margin in a hypothetical two-way game. (Fox News)

But voters’ enthusiasm for Mamdani was decisive – most of his supporters said their vote was for him rather than against his opponents. Cuomo’s supporters were divided: slightly more said their vote was against his opponents rather than for him. Sliwa’s supporters were particularly enthusiastic about their candidate: three-quarters of his supporters said their votes were for the Republican.

Those who voted for Mamdani overwhelmingly said their vote was for him and not against his opponents. (Fox News)

Among voters who made up their minds last week, Cuomo had a wide lead over Mamdani. For those who knew before October or earlier, Mamdani was their preferred candidate.

Despite the national attention in the election, it was local issues that drove most voters, not national figures: About two-thirds said President Donald Trump was not a factor in their vote while about 3 in 10 said their vote was against Trump. Most voters in New York City disapprove of the job he is doing as president.

House Republicans link Mayor-elect Mamdani to weak Democrats in Congress

In a city where there are three times as many Democrats as Republicans, Democrats were viewed favorably by just over half of voters. The results by party show there are some growing pains among Democrats. A large number – about 1 in 4 – view their party negatively. About two-thirds of voters overall view the Republican Party unfavorably.

How New York City voters felt about the Democratic Party. (Fox News)

How people in New York City view the Republican Party. (Fox News)

First-time voters made up more than 15% of the city’s electorate and overwhelmingly favored Mamdani. He also had the support of a majority of non-native New Yorkers, while those born and raised in the city supported the former governor.

How first-time voters cast their ballots in the New York City mayoral race. (Fox News)

Affordability was a critical issue in this race. Nearly 6 in 10 voters identified the cost of living as the most important issue facing the city, followed closely by crime. Voters who prioritized the cost of living went for Mamdani, while crime-conscious voters backed Cuomo.

The cost of living was the most important issue for voters, according to the survey results. (Fox News)

Against this backdrop of rising costs, economic sentiment turned negative, with most describing the city’s economy as neither good nor bad. Voters with a negative view split their support between Mamdani and Cuomo and those with a positive view preferred Mamdani.

How New York City voters view its economy. (Fox News)

Regarding their economic situation, the majority of voters said that they adhere to their economic situation. These voters gave equal shares of their votes to Mamdani and Cuomo. For the remaining portion of those left behind, Mamdani was once again the favourite.

The financial situation of New York City voters. (Fox News)

Closely linked to affordability concerns, more than 8 in 10 voters said the cost of the housing they lived in was at least a minor issue, including nearly 7 in 10 who described it as a major problem. Running on a platform that prioritizes affordability and rent stability, Mamdani has welcomed a majority of voters who feel housing is an issue.

How New York City voters felt about housing costs. (Fox News)

About 6 in 10 New York City voters are renters, and this group supported Mamdani by a large margin. For the other four in 10 homeowner voters, Cuomo was their preferred candidate.

About 6 in 10 voters feel that increasing city taxes would hurt the city’s economy more than help it. Cuomo had the support of this group, while those who felt the taxes would help the city favored the self-described democratic socialist.

Voters said a tax increase in New York City would hurt the economy more than help it. (Fox News)

Crime was an important issue throughout the campaign. About 8 in 10 voters felt this was at least a minor problem. Cuomo performed better among voters who called crime a big problem.

How voters felt about crime in New York City. (Fox News)

Immigration ranked low among five issues tested in the poll, with only 1 in 10 voters saying it was the most important issue facing the city. More voters believe the next mayor should not cooperate with the Trump administration on immigration enforcement. Those who wanted to prioritize cooperation sided with Cuomo, while Mamdani voters favored the opposition.

Voters felt that New York City’s next mayor should not work with President Donald Trump on immigration enforcement. (Fox News)

In the elections that took place between experienced politicians and a relative newcomer, voters were divided between the desire for a candidate capable of bringing about the required change and a candidate with the appropriate experience. Voters looking for change sided with Mamdani while voters who prioritized experience favored Cuomo. For those who wanted a candidate to run like them, Mamdani received the lion’s share of support.

Voters were divided between their desire for a candidate who would bring about the desired change and a candidate with the appropriate experience. (Fox News)

Voters generally viewed Cuomo’s policies as more realistic than other candidates. The largest percentage of voters – about 6 in 10 – said the former governor’s policies were realistic, compared to only 4 in 10 who said the same about Mamdani and Saliwa.

A Fox News poll of voters found that New Yorkers view Cuomo’s policies as the most realistic. (Fox News)

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methodology

The Fox News voter poll is based on a survey conducted by SSRS with registered voters in New York City. This poll was conducted from October 22 to November 4, 2025, and concluded at the end of voting on Election Day. The survey combines data collected from registered voters online and by phone with data collected in person from voters on Election Day in 30 precincts across the city. In the final step, all pre-election survey respondents and Election Day exit poll respondents are combined by adjusting the voting mode share (absentee, early in-person, and Election Day) based on the estimated composition of the city’s final voters. Once the votes are counted, the poll results are also weighted to match the overall results in each state. Results among more than 4,700 New York City voters interviewed have an estimated margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2.1 percentage points, including design effects. The margin of error is larger between subgroups.