Zohran Mamdani, a Muslim socialist state assembly member running to become New York City's mayor, has taken the lead against former governor Andrew Cuomo, according to a new poll.
Mr Mamdani secured the support of 35 per cent of those surveyed to Mr Cuomo's 31 per cent, according to data from Public Policy Polling, first reported by Politico.
Before this particular poll, most surveys showed Mr Mamdani closely trailing Mr Cuomo.
“All gas, no brakes,” Mr Mamdani's campaign posted to X, referring to the new numbers showing an increasingly competitive race. “Only you can make this poll a reality.”
If victorious in the June 24 primary election, Mr Mamdani stands a good chance in heavily Democratic New York of winning the general election in November and becoming the city's first Muslim mayor.
He recently accused Mr Cuomo of Islamophobia, alleging that a political action committee supporting the former New York governor had doctored a photo of him by artificially lengthening and darkening his beard.
“This is blatant Islamophobia – the kind of racism that explains why MAGA billionaires support his campaign,” Mr Mamdani posted to X, referring to US President Donald Trump's Make America Great Again movement.
He has had a rapid ascent in his pursuit of the mayoralty. His frequent video output on social media has made him popular with younger voters, while his socialist leanings have bolstered his support among New York Democrats who feel the national party has moved too far to the centre of the ideological spectrum.
Mr Mamdani, 33, promises to lower the cost of living in New York City by freezing rent prices, providing universal day care and making the bus system free.
In a recent debate, he said he would achieve all those things by raising taxes on the wealthiest 1 per cent of New Yorkers.
Though the recent poll showing a lead will be welcome news for Mr Mamdani's supporters, they should not take a victory lap yet.
The primary will use ranked-choice voting, which means a series of run-offs will take place, with the candidate in last place each round eliminated and his or her votes redistributed based on voters' second choice.
What that means is that polling in this particular race and predicting a winner is murky at best.
