Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo — who resigned from office three years ago amid a slew of sexual harassment allegations – is the favorite to become NYC’s next mayor, a new poll shows.
Cuomo would get backing from 22% of New York Democrats in a hypothetical primary next year, with state Attorney General Letitia James placing second at 19%, and indicted Mayor Eric Adams third with 12%, according to the new survey from The New York Times and Sienna College.
Of the 853 registered voters polled, another 28% said they were undecided or refused to give an opinion and the rest backed other candidates.
A US Department of Justice probe released this year determined Cuomo sexually harassed at least 13 female state employees and retaliated against ex-staff. Cuomo — who is eying a political comeback — has vigorously disputed the DOJ findings.
In NYC, Dems outnumber Republicans more than seven to one, so the winner of next year’s Democratic primary would be the heavy favorite to become mayor.
Unlike the other Democrats polled, Adams did better with Donald Trump-loving Republicans. He pulled in 29% of the vote from New Yorkers who backed Trump in the 2020 presidential election, compared to just 10% for President Biden.
The poll also found 53% of voters feel Adams should resign, while 40% prefer him serving out the rest of his term, which runs through 2025.
Just 26% of voters said they approved of the job he is doing as mayor.
Adams was indicted last month on federal bribery, conspiracy and wire fraud charges, throwing his future into doubt. The mayor has vowed to stay in office, insisting he’s the victim of a political hit job by the feds because he criticized their handling of the migrant crisis.
Meanwhile, Trump is making strides in his hometown of New York City heading into Election Day, the poll found.
Vice President and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris still leads Trump 66%-27% among likely voters in the upcoming presidential election, but her numbers are about 10 percentage points below President Biden’s Big Apple haul when he defeated Trump in 2020.
If the numbers holds, it would represent the worst showing for a Democratic presidential candidate in the Big Apple since 1988, according to The New York Times.