Mayor Eric Adams' approval rating dipped to a record low in a new Quinnipiac University poll, with former Gov. Andrew Cuomo seeing a double-digit lead over him as voters' preferred Democratic mayoral candidate.

The poll found only 11% of registered Democrats would throw their support behind Adams in the June mayoral primary, while 31% would back Cuomo, who officially entered the race less than a week ago.


What You Need To Know

  • Mayor Eric Adams' job approval rating dropped to a record low of 20% in a new Quinnipiac University poll, with former Gov. Andrew Cuomo seeing a 20% lead over him as voters' preferred Democratic mayoral candidate

  • The poll found only 11% of registered Democrats would throw their support behind Adams in the June mayoral primary, while 31% would back Cuomo, who officially entered the race less than a week ago

  • Fifty-six percent of voters in the most recent poll, meanwhile, said they believed Adams should resign from office, echoing a number of New York lawmakers — including rival mayoral candidates — who have called for him to do so

Adams' job approval rating, meanwhile, dropped to 20% — the lowest rating the embattled mayor has seen. His previous low in the Quinnipiac poll was 28%, in a December 2023 poll.

The Democrat has a higher approval rating among Republicans (35%) than Democrats (15%) in the most recent poll. Seventy-eight percent of Democrats and 52% of Republicans polled disapprove of the how the mayor is handling his job.

Voters responding to the poll were presented with 11 possible Democratic mayoral picks, two of whom — Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams — have not entered the race, though the speaker has said she is considering it.

A total of 1,260 self-identified registered voters in New York City were surveyed between Feb. 27 and March 3 — two days after Cuomo threw his hat in the ring — including 771 self-identified registered Democrats, Quinnipiac said.

Of the 11 possibilities, nine lagged behind Adams and Cuomo, with Queens Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani receiving 8% support; Williams getting 7%; former City Comptroller Scott Stringer getting 6%; and current City Comptroller Brad Lander getting 5%.

Queens state Sen. Jessica Ramos and the City Council speaker received 4% support each, while Brooklyn state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, former Bronx Assemblyman Michael Blake and former hedge fund manager Whitney Tilson received 1% each.

Sixteen percent of those polled were undecided.

Adams' record-low approval rating comes amid his legal team and the Department of Justice's attempts to get his federal corruption case dismissed. A federal judge last month canceled his trial, but did not dismiss the charges Adams faces, saying the case needed further legal deliberation.

Along with the low approval rating, Quinnipiac's poll found 67% of voters disapprove of the job Adams is doing, compared to 58% who responded to the December 2023 poll.

Thirteen percent of voters did not provide an opinion, down slightly from 14% in the 2023 poll.

Fifty-six percent of voters in the most recent poll, meanwhile, said they believed Adams should resign from office, echoing a number of New York lawmakers — including rival mayoral candidates — who have called for him to do so. Thirty-five percent of respondents said he should not tender his resignation.

A majority of Democrats polled — 72% — said they felt the mayor should step down. Only 26% of Republicans polled felt the same.