With just weeks until the primary election, Andrew Yang has regained his lead in the contest to become the next mayor of New York City, a new poll revealed Wednesday.
Yang, a former entrepreneur who's dominated in most polls so far, ranked as voters' first choice among 21% of the 1,003 people surveyed in the latest poll, which was conducted by Schoen Cooperman Research.
© Theodore ParisienneNew York City mayoral candidate Andrew Yang
New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Yang (Theodore Parisienne/)
A prior poll released last week had Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams leading the field, but the latest survey put him in second place with 17% support.
The new poll also projects Yang winning in a ranked-choice showdown with 53%, with Adams getting 47%.
The poll allowed the Democrats surveyed to rank candidates by first, second and third choice - an abridged preview of the ranked-choice voting structure that will be in play for this year's June 22 primaries as well as the general election.
© Provided by New York Daily NewsNew York City mayoral candidate Eric Adams
New York City mayoral candidate Eric Adams (Barry Williams/)
Comptroller Scott Stringer and Maya Wiley, Mayor de Blasio's former legal counsel, each clocked 10% support in the Schoen poll, with former Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia lagging not too far behind with 8%.
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Shaun Donovan, President Obama's former housing czar, and Ray McGuire, a former Citi exec, each won support from 6% of those surveyed. Former non-profit exec Dianne Morales trailed the pack with 4%.
The poll is the first one that was fully conducted after a former campaign volunteer accused Stringer of sexually abusing and harassing her 20 years ago. Stringer has denied the allegations.
Compared to last week's poll, Stringer's numbers appear to have dipped, though. Last week, he garnered 15% support, compared to 10% this time around.
The poll also seems to indicate that Garcia and Wiley are gaining ground on Yang and Adams. A comparison of the polls from this week and last shows that Garcia inched up 2 points and Wiley rose by 3%.
© Theodore ParisienneNew York City mayoral candidate Kathryn Garcia
New York City mayoral candidate Kathryn Garcia (Theodore Parisienne/)
The latest polling data shows Adams led the field in ranking as a second pick, with 15% choosing him as their top also-ran. Yang and Stringer each got 13% when it came to getting second choice nods, and Wiley and Donovan garnered 12% apiece.
Of those surveyed, a sizable majority - 60% - identified themselves as moderate or liberal Democrats, with only 4% classifying themselves as Democratic Socialists.
© Barry WilliamsNew York City mayoral candidate Maya Wiley
New York City mayoral candidate Maya Wiley (Barry Williams/)
The poll was commissioned by a new civic group called New Yorkers for a Better Future, which is focused on bringing working- and middle-class New Yorkers into the political process.
Jelanie DeShong, the group's executive director and a former senior staff member for Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, was quick to point out the relatively moderate bent of most of those surveyed, a finding that's consistent with the moderate Yang's frontrunner status.
"Democratic New York voters are generally traditional in their thinking," he said. "They overwhelmingly do not view themselves as aligned with the [Democratic Socialists of America] or extreme left positions. There is a real opportunity as we emerge from the pandemic to build a civic group that will support traditional Democratic platforms and ideas that will help rebuild New York."
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