By: Carl Schwartzbaum

The Jewish electorate in New York City—long a powerful voting bloc in the city’s municipal politics—finds itself deeply fractured in the current mayoral race, with new polling revealing significant opposition to Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani. Yet despite this broad opposition, Mamdani still holds a plurality of Jewish support, largely due to the division of the remaining vote among several rival candidates.

According to polling data released by the New York Solidarity Network and reported on Tuesday in The Algemeiner, just 37 percent of Jewish voters said they would support Mamdani in a general election matchup. The figure represents a plurality but not a majority, as other candidates—former Governor Andrew Cuomo, incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, and Republican challenger Curtis Sliwa—each draw substantial, if divided, backing from Jewish voters.

The survey of 800 registered Jewish voters, conducted in July, underscores the complexity of Jewish political alignments in New York, particularly in an election where Israel, antisemitism, and community safety have emerged as central issues.

The poll found Adams receiving 25 percent support, Cuomo 21 percent, and Sliwa 14 percent, illustrating the fractured nature of Jewish opposition to Mamdani. As The Algemeiner report noted, the lack of a consolidated candidate leaves Mamdani in a position to benefit from the divisions, even as a majority of Jewish respondents voice serious concerns about his record.

The breakdown along denominational and religious lines is striking. Orthodox Jews—both Hasidic and Modern Orthodox—are nearly unanimous in their rejection of Mamdani, with just 3 percent saying they would back him. Instead, they gravitate strongly toward Adams (61 percent), with smaller but still notable support for Cuomo (14 percent) and Sliwa (18 percent). Conservative Jews lean toward Cuomo (35 percent) over Mamdani (31 percent), reflecting more divided attitudes. By contrast, Reform Jews (54 percent) and Jews without denominational affiliation (48 percent) are more inclined to support Mamdani, according to the data cited in The Algemeiner report.

At the core of the opposition is Mamdani’s stance on Israel and related issues of antisemitism. Two-thirds of respondents identified themselves as “pro-Israel,” and more than 70 percent described antisemitism in New York City as a “very serious” or “somewhat serious” problem.

The Algemeiner reported that Mamdani’s refusal to condemn the slogan “globalize the intifada”—a rallying cry seen by many as an incitement to violence—was cited as particularly troubling, with 62 percent of Jewish voters describing the slogan as antisemitic.

The poll also tested voter reactions after presenting respondents with a summary of Mamdani’s positions, including his support for the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) campaign, his reluctance to affirm Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, and his legislative efforts to limit cooperation between Jewish-American and Israeli charities. After reviewing this information, 66 percent of Jewish voters said the description raised either “very serious” or “somewhat serious” concerns about his candidacy.

Perhaps the most damning finding, according to the report in The Algemeiner, is that a majority of Jewish respondents—51 percent—said they believe Mamdani is antisemitic. That perception, however, is sharply polarized: among Mamdani’s supporters, only 3 percent agreed with that characterization. The data highlighted a profound divide in how Jewish communities view the Democratic nominee, with generational and religious differences shaping attitudes.

Older voters, in particular, expressed strong concerns about safety. More than 60 percent of voters aged 50 and older said they fear that Mamdani’s election would make New York City less safe for Jews. This anxiety reflects broader worries over antisemitic violence in the city, which has seen a sharp rise in incidents since the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 massacre in Israel.

Mamdani, a 33-year-old state assemblymember representing parts of Queens, was little known outside activist circles before his surprise victory in the Democratic primary earlier this year. As The Algemeiner report observed, his outspoken advocacy for the BDS movement, coupled with repeated refusals to acknowledge Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, have made him one of the most polarizing figures in recent New York politics.

In the Democratic primary, Mamdani secured 43.5 percent of first-choice votes compared to Cuomo’s 36.4 percent, propelling him into the general election as the party’s nominee. His campaign has been marked by controversial statements, including claims that Israel denies equal rights to its citizens and a vow to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he were to visit New York.

The Algemeiner’s coverage of the poll emphasized that Mamdani’s candidacy represents a turning point for Jewish voters in New York, long considered a reliably Democratic constituency. While many Jews in the city still identify with the Democratic Party, the survey revealed significant erosion of loyalty to the party’s nominee, particularly in the wake of rising antisemitism and Mamdani’s hardline positions on Israel.

The data also raise questions about the future of Jewish political engagement in New York City. If Mamdani were to consolidate support among younger, less observant Jewish voters while maintaining Democratic majorities elsewhere, his candidacy could reshape the city’s political landscape. However, the deep resistance from Orthodox and Conservative Jewish communities may continue to pose obstacles to building broad-based trust.

The July survey paints a complicated picture of Jewish political attitudes in New York City’s mayoral race. While Zohran Mamdani holds a plurality of Jewish support due to fractured opposition, the overwhelming distrust expressed by large segments of the community—particularly Orthodox and older voters—underscores the challenges he faces in gaining legitimacy among Jewish New Yorkers.

As The Algemeiner report indicated, Mamdani’s record on Israel and antisemitism has become a defining issue of the campaign, one that cuts across religious, generational, and ideological lines. With concerns over safety, community trust, and the future of Jewish life in the city at stake, the Jewish vote is likely to remain one of the most closely watched factors as the mayoral race heads into its decisive months.