Local Voices
By The Polls, Cuomo's The Early Frontrunner. But How Does Local Polling Work, Really?
In this week's election newsletter, we look at how to smartly read poll numbers in the mayor's race. This article is adapted from our Fe ...
February 21, 2025
Dear New Yorkers,
Find out what's happening in New York Cityfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
It’s been another hectic week for Mayor Eric Adams.
Calls for him to step down or be removed are getting louder, particularly after his four top deputy mayors announced they’d resign. Meanwhile, Gov. Kathy Hochul met with elected officials to talk about the mayor’s fate — and is moving toward legally sanctioning him. And Adams returned to court over the Trump admin pushing to drop his federal corruption charges.
Find out what's happening in New York Cityfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Each day brings us something new to report on — and closer to the June 24 primary. So this week instead of focusing on the storm around the mayor, let’s talk about how we track who might be our next leader: polling.
If you go by polls right now, the frontrunner for mayor is our former governor Andrew Cuomo — who isn’t even in the race. What’s up with that?
Our reporter Rachel Kahn spoke to experts about the science, strategy and cost behind the local polls you’ll see in the headlines, and how to tell which ones are trustworthy. A few things to keep in mind:
Sample size and methodology are super important.
Pay attention to who is conducting the poll — and who’s paying for it.
Your Election Questions, Answered
Steph H. asks: When does petitioning begin?! I think that’ll tell who’s running.
Answer: Yes you’re right! Petitioning starts in less than a week, on Feb. 25, and runs through April 3. That means you’ll start to see people on the street asking voters for signatures to get their candidate on the ballot. And at the end of the process — when election officials check signatures and certify candidates — we’ll know exactly who got on the June ballot … and who didn’t make the cut.
The petitioning season will also give us a clue as to who’s trying to make it on the ballot who hasn’t already announced their candidacy. So, if you see petitioners out there gathering signatures for new and notable 2025 candidates (we’re looking at you, Cuomo) … Drop us a line!
Have a question for our election team? Reply back to this email or send your questions to ask@thecity.nyc.
THE CAMPAIGN KICKER: After Trump’s border czar told the mayor on TV he’d be “up his butt” on immigration if he didn’t do what they wanted, Adams told NY1 it was all jokes and Tom Homan apologized. “We’re two ex-police officers, this is what we do. We joke at each other,” the mayor said. … OK!
This press release was produced by The City. The views expressed here are the author’s own.
