Poll: NYC LGBTQ Voters Lean Toward Mamdani Over Cuomo
Early voting begins as new poll shows Mamdani leading among LGBTQ voters, but 24% remain undecided in crowded Democratic primary field.
New York City’s LGBTQ voters narrowly favor State Rep. Zohran Mamdani (D-Queens) over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the upcoming Democratic primary — though one in four remain undecided as early voting begins this week.
A new poll by the Honan Strategy Group, commissioned by LGBTQ advocacy group Destination Tomorrow, finds that LGBTQ New Yorkers make up about 20% of the Democratic electorate heading into the June 24 primary, according to The New York Post.
Among that 20%, more than one-third, or 7%, of the overall electorate, identify as gay or lesbian, 4% identify as bisexual, 3% identify as pansexual, 1% identify as queer and 5% identify as having “another identity.”
Among LGBTQ voters, 25% back Mamdani — a Democratic Socialist who has become a favorite of left-leaning, white, and more affluent voters — compared to 21% who support Cuomo.
City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams receives 7% support from LGBTQ voters, while City Comptroller Brad Lander, former Comptroller Scott Stringer, and State Sen. Zellnor Myrie (D-Brooklyn) each pull 6%. State Sen. Jessica Ramos (D-Queens) — who has endorsed Cuomo — and former Assemblyman Michael Blake (D-Bronx) each draw 2%.
However, a stark — and decidedly large — number of LGBTQ voters (24%) are still undecided about whom to vote for.
New York City uses ranked-choice voting, allowing voters to select up to five preferred candidates. In each round, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and their votes are redistributed based on voters’ next-highest preferences. Once a candidate reaches 50% of the vote, they are declared the winner.
Among all Democratic voters — including heterosexual respondents — Cuomo leads Mamdani 38% to 22%, with Lander at 12%, Adams at 10%, and another 10% still undecided. In ranked-choice tabulations, Cuomo ultimately defeats Mamdani in the seventh round by a 12-point margin, 56% to 44%. The results align with other public opinion polls of the race.
Cuomo — best known among LGBTQ voters for championing New York’s marriage equality law — has campaigned on his gubernatorial record, bragging of strong LGBTQ support in past elections.
But that support came before his 2021 resignation over allegations of sexual misconduct. In this year’s race, most LGBTQ political clubs have declined to endorse him. The Stonewall Democrats ranked Adams, Lander, and Mamdani as their top three choices, while the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club did not rank Cuomo at all.
The poll also asked specific questions about the LGBTQ community. A majority of Democratic voters agreed that the next mayor must do more to support LGBTQ New Yorkers — especially Black and Brown individuals.
Mamdani’s showing in the poll underscores his emergence as Cuomo’s chief rival from a crowded field.
In a recent debate at John Jay College, the two traded blows. Cuomo criticized Mamdani’s lack of experience and cast his ideology and policies as out of step with the mainstream and politically toxic.
Mamdani fired back by mocking Cuomo’s resignation, citing the sexual misconduct allegations, and portraying the former governor as corrupt.
Whoever wins the Democratic primary will face off against incumbent Mayor Eric Adams — a former Democrat now running as an independent — as well as independent candidate Jim Walden, an antitrust and government attorney, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels, a volunteer public safety group known for patrolling New York City’s streets and subways in the late 20th century.
Adams and Cuomo, if he secures the nomination, are widely viewed as the race’s frontrunners. Cuomo’s LGBTQ record is generally seen as positive. Adams, despite supporting some pro-LGBTQ measures, has faced criticism for appointing pastors with anti-gay records to key posts and for his past rebuke of Pride organizers over the ban on uniformed police officers marching in the parade.
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