Lessons From ‘Never Mamdani’ and ‘Never Cuomo’ Voters in the New York Mayor Race

The “Never Mamdani” bloc includes a nontrivial number of Democrats and a large share of Republicans, putting a ceiling on Mr. Mamdani’s potential support.

Thirty-five percent of the “Never Mamdani” voters are Democrats, a remarkably high share to be holding out against their own party’s nominee. In the poll, he is winning just 61 percent of the city’s Democratic voters.

To make a rough comparison: In a Times/Siena poll from October 2024, Kamala Harris won over 90 percent of N.Y.C. Democrats.

The makeup of the “Never Cuomo” bloc — overwhelmingly Democrats — showcases why it could be hard for Mr. Cuomo to beat Mr. Mamdani, even one-on-one.

Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters will make up about 72 percent of the likely N.Y.C. electorate for the coming election, making them a crucial contingent.

For “Never Mamdani” Democrats, Mr. Mamdani’s proposed policies are a bigger concern than the broader issue of his political ideology, although the two are probably linked in many voters’ minds.

Among “Never Cuomo” Democrats, views of Mr. Cuomo’s personality and character dwarfed other concerns. The small but notable share who referred to policy concerns mainly cited his record as governor.

Here’s a selection of voters’ responses, in their own words.

‘Never Mamdani’ Democrats who said his policies or ideology were their main concern

Nearly half of the “Never Mamdani” Democrats cited his proposed policies as the primary reason for withholding their support, although many did not cite a specific policy. Rather, they expressed a general concern that he was too inexperienced to lead the city, or that his plans were unachievable.

Those who did have a particular grievance most often brought up his past calls to defund the police, a stance he has tried to distance himself from during the campaign. Mr. Mamdani recently said he would apologize for comments in 2020 calling the New York Police Department racist and homophobic.

Some Democrats called his views socialist or communist. (Mr. Mamdani is a democratic socialist, meaning his beliefs are similar to those of socialists but not exactly the same. He is not a communist.)

Some also said they thought Mr. Mamdani was anitsemitic, echoing accusations lobbed at him by his opponents in the race. Mr. Mamdani, who has denied the charge, has spoken frequently about expanding the city’s efforts to combat antisemitism if elected.

“Never Cuomo” Democrats, by contrast, were far more likely to cite concerns about Mr. Cuomo’s personality and character than any other issue.

‘Never Cuomo’ Democrats who said his personality or character was their main concern

These voters most frequently brought up the sexual harassment allegations against Mr. Cuomo. Although he apologized at the time, he has now taken a more defiant stance toward his accusers and has denied wrongdoing.

A large number also mentioned that Mr. Cuomo was conspiring with President Trump against Mr. Mamdani. Mr. Trump and his advisers have reportedly tried to clear the field for Mr. Cuomo by offering Mayor Eric Adams and Curtis Sliwa, the Republican nominee, positions in the administration in exchange for dropping out. “I think they need to have one candidate,” Mr. Trump said during a recent interview on Fox News. “And it would look to me like Cuomo, frankly, is leading the other two.”

Both men have said they intend to stay in the race, though Mr. Adams has hinted he may be open to dropping out.

The heavily Democratic nature of the “Never Cuomo” bloc suggests he will need to win over many Republicans. But the “Never Cuomo” Republicans and their concerns over his time as governor reveal he faces an uphill battle.

“Never Cuomo” Democrats and Republicans who said his policies were their main concern

Regardless of party, virtually all the “Never Cuomo” voters who cited his policies mentioned his track record as governor, and many mentioned his actions early in the pandemic, including guidance that directed nursing homes to readmit patients who had tested positive.

Reporting by The New York Times revealed how Mr. Cuomo and his top aides had edited a state health department report to conceal how many nursing home residents died in the pandemic.

Some “Never Cuomo” Democrats also took issue with Mr. Cuomo’s handling of the city’s issues as governor, including his control of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Others said Mr. Cuomo was too closely tied to the city’s wealthy business elites and worried his policies as mayor would not address working-class concerns. That contingent, however, was a relatively small segment in this category compared with those who disliked the job he did as governor.