Exit poll: Public safety tops voter concerns, but NYC Dems reject policing-first approach
Polling showed that public safety was a major concern for people leading up to the Democratic mayoral primary. In response, several candidates made restoring a sense of safety a top priority for their campaigns. One of the main lines of attack from Andrew Cuomo was that his opponent Zohran Mamdani didn’t take crime seriously enough, that he previously supported defunding the police.
But results from an exit poll of voters released this week showed that primary voters preferred victor Mamdani’s approach to the issue. Two in three people surveyed listed crime and public safety, along with homelessness, as one of the biggest issues facing New York City today – behind the high cost of living and housing costs. While Cuomo focused on a gloomy message about a city in crisis, Mamdani was able to connect crime and disorder to affordability, according to advocates.
”What Mamdani did in this race was he made safety, quality of life, a core part of his broader message of affordability. He didn't place it in a silo,” said Vera Action program director Alana Sivin. The group counseled several campaigns on their public safety plans, including Cuomo’s and Mamdani’s. “He very consistently linked safety to affordability by saying that higher costs and rising prices are connected to voters' feelings of being unsafe.”
The survey of 1,136 actual primary voters was conducted between June 23 and June 27 by Change Research. Respondents were reached through text messages and direct marketing ads on social media. The poll has a 3.3% margin of error. Of the voters surveyed, 43% ranked Mamdani No. 1 on their ballots – which paralleled actual election night results. It was commissioned by Vera Action, the political arm of the Vera Institute of Justice – a criminal justice reform advocacy organization.
https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2025/07/exit-poll-public-safety-tops-voter-concerns-nyc-dems-reject-policing-first-approach/406519/?oref=csny-homepage-river
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