By:  Ilana Siyance

As the race for New York City Mayor gains traction, Andrew Yang is leading in polls among crucial registered voters.  As reported by the Wall Street Journal, a new poll puts the former tech entrepreneur in first place with 24% of registered Democratic voters 50 years and above. The poll, conducted by Siena College Research Institute and senior-citizens’ group AARP, asked registered voters to rank up to five favorites candidates for the June 22 Democratic primary, which is slated to pick the next mayor long before the general election takes place.

In the same poll, other mayoral candidates, including Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, were each the first choice for 13% of Democrats age 50 and above.  The poll ranked Democratic candidate Ray McGuire, a former vice chairman at Citigroup, in 4th place, with 9% of the Demographic putting him first.  Candidate Maya Wiley, a former legal counsel to Mayor Bill de Blasio, was top choice for 7%, as per the poll.  Out of the registered Republicans age 50 and up, Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, founder of the street-patrol group Guardian Angels, was the top choice for 40% of those surveyed.

The poll showed that 26 percent of surveyed Democrats were still undecided, while 44 percent of Republican voters were undecided.  The poll, which ran from March 29 to April 8, questioned New Yorkers age 50 and older by phone and online. In all, there were 531 registered Democrats and 129 registered Republicans surveyed, from among people who vote consistently as per Don Levy, head of the Siena College Research Institute.  “Amongst this age group, Yang has a decided advantage,” Dr. Levy said.   “Yang is polling well across really every demographic”, he added.

Mr. Yang’s co-campaign manager, Sasha Ahuja, commented to say, “The only poll that matters is the one on Election Day, and our strategy remains the same—making sure as many New Yorkers as possible hear Andrew’s message: Hope is on the way.”

A spokesman for Mr. Adams said, “This poll, like others, undercounts Black voters—but Eric Adams will make sure their voice is heard…because he is putting together an historic coalition of support to become the next mayor.”  A senior adviser for Mr. McGuire, said, “The race is wide open, but the movement in this poll is consistent with what we are experiencing on the ground.” Representatives for Mr. Stringer and Ms. Wiley declined to comment to the WSJ.