NEW YORK, N.Y. — A new poll found Andrew Yang is leading in the pack of Democrats who are running for New York City mayor.
The poll released Wednesday by Fontas Advisors and Core Decision Analytics shows the entrepreneur and former Democratic presidential candidate received 28% support among those sampled.
Yang officially entered the mayoral race in January, less than a year after he dropped out of the race for president. For a relative newcomer to politics, he drew a surprising amount of primary support as he made a case for universal basic income.
In the NYC election, Yang’s closest opponents are Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams at 17%, followed by NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer at 13% of likely voters, according to the poll.
The poll shows Shaun Donovan, an Obama administration official, and Maya Wiley, a lawyer and civil rights activist, are tied for fourth ranking at 8% each.
Still, with several months until the June primary and November general election, much can change, and many haven’t picked a candidate yet. Wednesday’s poll shows 19% of likely voters are undecided.
Along with his strong position in the “horse race,” the poll found Yang had the highest name recognition of the candidates, with 84% of those polls saying they’ve heard of him. He again was followed up by Stringer and Adams, with 66% and 60% respectively.
The poll also found that the COVID-19 pandemic will unsurprisingly be the dominant issue during the mayoral campaign, with 57% of likely voters saying the pandemic had a significant negative impact on their finances.
“New York City is at a crossroads and the election of the new mayor will be a pivotal milestone in our recovery from the pandemic and the resulting economic devastation,” said George Fontas, Founder and CEO of Fontas Advisors. “Our poll found that New Yorkers seek mayoral candidates who offer clear plans to tackle the many pressing issues facing the city, and voters especially value proven experience demonstrated in government or the public sector.”
Core Decision Analytics conducted around 800 online interviews among likely voters in NYC’s Democratic primary from Jan. 20 to Jan. 25. The overall margin of error is +/-3.38% at the 95% confidence interval.
