Mamdani says his Israel stance is core to ‘Trump-proofing’ NYC

This piece first ran as part of The Countdown, our daily newsletter rounding up all the developments in the New York City mayor’s race. Sign up here to get it in your inbox. 

🗽 Upstate upset

• A Siena Institute poll found that while Zohran Mamdani gains popularity in New York City, voters outside the Big Apple have a negative opinion of him — especially Jews.

• Across the state, 75% of Jews reported an unfavorable opinion of Mamdani, a much greater share than 37% of voters overall. A similar share of overall voters, 34%, said they did not know of Mamdani or had no opinion, while 28% viewed him favorably.

• Surveyed Jews did not particularly like the other candidates, either — 61% had a negative view of Mayor Eric Adams, 54% said the same of Gov. Andrew Cuomo and 38% said the same of Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa.

• A narrower focus on New York City showed Mamdani leading the race by 19 points, similar to his performance in other recent polls. But this poll diverged from others that showed Mamdani also leading among Jewish voters. Instead, Siena pollsters reported 44% of Jewish New Yorkers said they would vote for Cuomo, followed by 23% for Sliwa and 20% for Mamdani.

• The pollsters cautioned their NYC sample was small, with a 6.7% margin of error that increased for subgroups. They noted that “some results should be taken as anecdotal.”

• We’re tracking all the polls in one place here, with a focus on what we know about Jewish voters.

🎙️ Mamdani says his Israel stance is core to “Trump-proofing” NYC

• In an interview with The Nation published on Tuesday, Mamdani said his stance on Israel was part of his plan to “Trump-proof” the city. He is currently making his way through a “Five Boroughs Against Trump” tour of New York, centering the president in his bid to win the general election.

• Along with protecting the city from federal budget cuts and enforcing New York’s sanctuary-city policies, Mamdani said he would fight Trump’s agenda by being a voice for New Yorkers “living through despair,” whether over the cost of living or over “watching in anguish as their tax dollars are used to kill civilians in Gaza.”

• Mamdani was also asked about his resistance to changing his language on issues from Israel to taxing the wealthy. “If I’ve made policy commitments, I’ve made them because I intend to keep them,” he said. “I want to be honest about them. That doesn’t stop me from continuing to learn how to be a leader for this entire city.”

👀 A Brooklyn stop without key Dems

• Mamdani continued his tour against Trump at the Flatbush Gardens housing complex on Tuesday. He was joined by a group of Democrats ranging from moderates to progressives and democratic socialists — but a few key party and Brooklyn leaders were not in attendance.

• Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Rep. Yvette Clarke, prominent Democrats who have not endorsed Mamdani, were not there.

🏆 Endorsement tracker

• Former Gov. David Paterson is endorsing Adams today. He endorsed Cuomo in the primary and since has called on candidates to commit to coalescing around a single opponent to Mamdani. Paterson, who led the state from 2008 to 2010, has long had strong relationships with Jewish groups and communities.

• Paterson’s flip-flop indicates that Cuomo is struggling to retain those who endorsed him in the primary. Several Jewish primary backers recently told us they hadn’t yet decided whom to back in the general election.