New polling from the campaign of Zohran Mamdani has the the democratic socialist surging closer to former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the upcoming NYC mayoral primary. In the first round of ranked-choice voting, Cuomo leads him 40-27 percent, a lead that becomes 56-44 when the tabulations are finished.

Cuomo, though, thanks to two major super PACs that are pumping more than $10 million into the race, has far more resources to throw at voters, making him the favorite heading into the final stretch.

In the summer of 2024, Andrew Cuomo announced the launch of an antisemitism advocacy group called Never Again, NOW! At the time, cynics wondered aloud whether Cuomo was sincerely dedicated to the cause or using the group to fuel a coming political campaign.

One year later, Cuomo, with the heavy backing of pro-Israel donors, has managed to turn June’s New York City mayoral primary into a referendum on support for Israel. A fed up Scott Stringer, a moderate Jewish Democrat trailing in the race, lamented that Cuomo’s group was simply “a vehicle for his mayor’s race—and everybody knows it.”

As the June 24 election nears, democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, currently in second place with a new internal poll showing him narrowing the gap with Cuomo, has faced a relentless barrage of questions regarding his outspoken support for Palestinian rights.