Yang Falls Behind In New York Mayoral Race As Crime Becomes Key Issue

With two weeks left until election day, Eric Adams is leading against the other candidates in the New York City mayoral race.

A new NY1/Ipsos poll released Tuesday shows Adams besting his Democratic primary opponents in the new ranked-choice voting system, with early voting set to begin Saturday.

In a final round against former 2020 presidential candidate Andrew Yang, the poll shows Adams winning with 58% of the vote. In a scenario where former Commissioner of the New York City Sanitation Department Kathryn Garcia makes it to the last stage, Adams would win with 60% of the vote.

The poll interviewed 906 likely Democratic voters and was conducted between May 17 and May 31.

Yang was once the clear frontrunner in the race, holding 26% of the overall vote in an April Data For Progress poll. Adams garnered only 13% in the same poll.

Garcia has been gaining support in the polls since The New York Times endorsed her in May.

Other candidates include Maya Wiley, who was recently endorsed by Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, and Scott Stringer, who has been plagued by allegations of sexual harassment.

The same poll shows 46% of voters think crime and violence is the biggest problem facing the city. In addition, 72% of likely voters supported increasing the number of police officers on the streets.

Shootings and robberies were up 73% and 46%, respectively, in NYC in May, while homicides are up 23% from last year.

“Yes, I’m a big believer in police reform, but I also believe in public safety,” Adams told the NY1 in April. “You can have reform and safety together. You can’t have a one-sided conversation,”

More candidates have attempted to assure citizens they will prioritize safety if elected. After the shooting of three people in Times Square, Yang denounced efforts to defund the police.

“New York City cannot afford to defund the police,” he said.

Garcia also tweeted “We all need to feel safe on our streets, in our neighborhoods, in our homes—no matter what zip code you live in.”

Wiley has taken a more progressive approach, introducing a plan to cut $1 billion from the New York Police Department to invest in “communities affected by gun violence.” In response to the Times Square shooting, she emphasized her plans to get illegal guns off the streets.

While speaking at Times Square, Adams chose to respond directly to Yang. “You know what, Andrew? These shootings have been happening blocks from my house for years and blocks from the houses of poorer New Yorkers for years,” he said.