Poll finds Andrew Yang favored for New York City mayor

Former 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang is currently among the favorites in the 2021 New York City mayoral race even as the businessman has yet to officially announce his candidacy, according to a poll released Monday. 

The survey, conducted by Public Policy Polling and sponsored by Education Reform Now Advocacy New York, found Yang with a 1-point lead over Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams among likely Democratic primary voters. However, his lead is within the poll’s 3.6 point margin of error. 

The poll also included several other declared or potential candidates, with Maya Wiley, a former top counsel to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D), polling at 7 percent and former Citigroup Vice Chairman Ray McGuire receiving support from 4 percent of likely Democratic voters.

The same survey found that favorability for de Blasio, who cannot run again due to term limits, is at 39 percent, compared to 56 percent who hold an unfavorable perception of the sitting mayor.

That rating stands in contrast to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D) rating, with the leader registering 76 percent approval, and just 22 percent disapproval of his performance. 

Earlier this month, The New York Times reported that Yang had begun telling city leaders that he intended to run for mayor and that he was expected to officially announce his run later in the month. 

Yang, who would be the second Asian American candidate to run for mayor of America’s largest city, was born in upstate New York and spent most of his adult life in Manhattan. 

Yang had met with New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson (D), the Times reported, and a spokesperson for the Rev. Al Sharpton told the newspaper at the time that Yang planned to meet with him. 

He has also listed Bradley Tusks and Chris Coffey, who worked for former Mayor Michael Bloomberg (D), as advisers. Bloomberg was also a 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful.

Yang has repeatedly declined to publicly comment on a potential mayoral run, and last month moved to Georgia to help Democratic candidates the Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff in the state’s crucial January Senate runoff races that will determine which party controls the upper chamber.

The survey was conducted from Dec. 16-17 and polled 755 likely Democratic primary voters in New York City on their favorites for the June 2021 mayoral election.