ISTANBUL

New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani secured significant backing across diverse faith groups in Tuesday's election, including an unexpectedly strong showing among Jewish voters, according to a CNN poll

The survey of 4,744 respondents, released after polls closed Tuesday, found that Mamdani -- a progressive Democrat who campaigned on affordability, inclusion, and unity -- got 33% of the Jewish vote, a substantial share for a first-time candidate.

His support was especially high among voters with no religious affiliation (75%) and those identifying with “other religions” (70%) – including Muslims, but not Christians or Jews – alongside 42% of Protestant or other Christian voters and 33% of Catholic voters.

Curtis Sliwa, Mamdani's rival from the Republican Party – which has aggressively courted Jewish votes for years – drew far less Jewish support, with just 3%, and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo – a figure well known to New York Jews before his 2021 resignation over sexual harassment allegations – got 63%.

Among religious blocs overall, 21% of respondents identified as Protestant or other Christian, 27% as Catholic, 15% as Jewish, 14% as other religions, and 24% as having no religious affiliation.

These results come amid a public debate over Mamdani’s views on Israel. The controversy divided local political figures and community leaders in New York, which has the largest Jewish population of any city in the world – some 2.1 million – outside Israel itself.

Some Jewish advocacy groups criticized Mamdani’s record in the state legislature, pointing to his support for measures calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and his criticism of US military aid to Israel. Others, including progressive Jewish groups, defended him, saying that opposition to Israeli government policies should not be equated with antisemitism.

'It pains me to be called an antisemite'

“Zohran Mamdani has divided the Jewish community – in New York and beyond,” wrote Olivia Reingold in The Free Press last month following Mamdani’s visit to a synagogue before the mayoral election.

During that visit, Mamdani said “I’m going to have people in my administration who are Zionists,” according to the outlet.

Speaking to reporters in June at a media event in Harlem, Mamdani directly confronted the backlash following an interview with The Bulwark, where his comments on US–Israel policy drew criticism.

“It pains me to be called an antisemite,” he said. “I’ve said at every opportunity that there is no room for antisemitism in this city, in this country. I’ve said that because that is something I personally believe.”

Mamdani also told his supporters early Wednesday that he will work to build unity among New Yorkers and "refuse to allow those who traffic in division and hate to pit us against one another."

"We will build a City Hall that stands steadfast alongside Jewish New Yorkers, and does not waver in the fight against the scourge of antisemitism, where the more than 1 million Muslims know that they belong, not just in the five boroughs of this city, but in the halls of power. No more will New York be a city where you can traffic in Islamophobia and win an election," he said.

Especially in the closing days of the campaign, Cuomo in particular openly trafficked in Islamophobic smears to attack Mamdani.