A new Marist College poll shows Andrew Cuomo ahead of the rest of the field in the Democratic primary for mayor, both as respondents’ first choice and at the end of the ranked-choice voting process.

According to the poll released Wednesday, Cuomo crossed the 50% threshold needed to win the primary in the fifth round of balloting. The former governor is also the first choice among 37% of potential Democratic primary voters who responded to the poll. 

Among first-choice selections in the poll, Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani placed second with 18%; City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams received 9%; City Comptroller Brad Lander at 8%; former City Comptroller Scott Stringer with 4%; Brooklyn state Sen. Zellnor Myrie at 3%; Queens state Sen. Jessica Ramos received 2%; political newcomer Whitney Tilson with 1%; and former Bronx Assemblyman Michael Blake received less than 1%. Seventeen percent of voters polled said they were still undecided.

Ranked-choice voting allows New Yorkers to rank candidates in order of preference. In each round, if the 50% threshold is not met, the candidate with the lowest vote total is eliminated, and those votes get spread among those voters’ next choice on the ballot. Ranked-choice voting rounds continue until one of the candidates crosses the 50% threshold.

In the first-round estimate, according to the poll, with undecided voters excluded, Cuomo received 44% support from likely voters; Mamdani received 22%; Adrienne Adams with 11%; Lander at 10%; Stringer received 5%; Myrie with 4%; Ramos received 2%; Tilson receive 1%; and Blake received less than 1%. 

By the fifth round of ranked-choice voting, Cuomo broke the 50% threshold, with 53% of likely voters, according to the poll. Mamdani received 29%, and Lander received 18%. The rest of the candidates had been previously eliminated after getting the fewest votes in prior rounds.

"Cuomo does seem to be on a pathway to winning the democratic primary," Lee Miringoff, the director of the poll, said. “The second-tier candidates, if they dont galvanize behind one, they’re gonna have to find a way to get Cuomo down in the numbers, because just getting the undecided is not enough to deprive Cuomo of the nomination."

According to Marist, 3,383 likely voters participated in the survey, which was conducted between May 1 and 8.

Meanwhile, on the campaign trail, Mamdani went to Co-Op City in the Bronx on Wednesday to accept an endorsement from liberal Jamaal Bowman, a former congressman.

“He is now joining our campaign to finally deliver a city that New Yorkers can afford," he said, trying to solidify his standing as the one true progressive who can take on Cuomo.

"We got people like Donald Trump because of people like Andrew Cuomo," Bowman said.

In a statement, a Cuomo campaign spokesman mentioned a few of the former governor’s accomplishments, like increasing the minimum wage, paid family leave and infrastructure projects.

“They know he has the experience and the record to get New York City back on the right track and after today’s poll numbers, I’d pull the fire alarm too if I were them,” the Cuomo spokesman said, making a reference to Bowman being reprimanded by his colleagues in the U.S. House for pulling an alarm when there was no emergency.

Mamdani sees an opportunity in the poll.

"It is far easier to introduce yourself to New Yorkers than it is to convince them to feel otherwise about you," he said.

Mamdani got the chance to do with Bowman’s endorsement — an endorsement that Co-Op City resident Kevin Lambright says he trusts.

"I trust him. I trust his judgement and decisions that he makes. I'm definitely looking at [Zohran]," Lambright said.

Mayoral candidates who are not running in the June 24 Democratic primary include two independent candidates – Mayor Eric Adams and attorney Jim Walden – and Republican candidate Curtis Silwa. They will be on the November ballot.

In a March poll, Cuomo was also at the top of the field in the Democratic primary. That poll was conducted before Adams announced he would forgo the primary.