Zohran Mamdani: New York's Mayor, from DSA to a Record 69% Approval
By Savah News Desk
Zohran Mamdani took office as mayor of New York City on Jan 1, 2026 — and by August, a Siena College poll put his favorability at 69%, the highest first-year rating any NYC mayor has recorded in recent memory.
That's +23 points favorable in one year, from 46% at the August 2025 general-election campaign (against Andrew Cuomo, Curtis Sliwa and Eric Adams) to 69% seven months into his term. No recent mayor comes close: Eric Adams never broke 50% in Siena polling; Bill de Blasio peaked in the mid-50s before cratering below 30%.
A historic path to City Hall
Mamdani — a Queens assemblyman of Ugandan-Indian descent, and the first member of the Democratic Socialists of America to serve as NYC mayor — shocked the political establishment in June 2025 by winning the Democratic primary, then beat former Governor Andrew Cuomo in November with roughly 50% of the vote and more than a million ballots, in the city's highest-turnout mayoral election since 1969.
At 34, he's governing with what the AP calls "star power unusual in politics" — while notching early wins: a $1.2 billion universal-childcare deal delivered by the governor on Day 8 of his term, a balanced budget after a $12 billion gap disclosure, and, for now, a working detente with President Trump.
The numbers since he took office
- Aug 2025: 46% favorable / 32% unfavorable (first Siena reading, campaign)
- Nov 2025: 55% / 31% (post-election)
- Dec 2025: 61% / 23% (entering office)
- Mar–Apr 2026: 56% (budget-gap dip; property-tax debate)
- Jun 2026: 58% (recovery after balanced budget)
- Aug 2026: 69% / 24% (all-time high)
Independent polls in spring 2026 (Marist, Emerson) put his approval in the high 40s with strong marks on childcare and a majority saying he's uniting the city more than dividing it — ratings beating both Adams and de Blasio at the same stage of their terms.
An ambitious agenda — with critics
Mamdani's progressive priorities — universal childcare, tenant protections, transit, and a city budget that funds services — sit alongside deep skepticism from critics who cite his past criticism of the NYPD and Israel, and a property-tax debate that has spiked his unfavorables among some voters. On the Oct 7 anniversary, he drew bipartisan backlash for again criticizing Israel — a position consistent with the record that galvanized young voters to elect him.
His first 100 days weren't controversy-free: a Department of Investigation nominee who had donated to and canvassed for his campaign drew Council scrutiny, though Mamdani defended her integrity and independence.
What it means
Whether the 69% holds past the midterms, Mamdani has more political room than any first-term NYC mayor in a generation — proof that a socialist who wins New York can govern from the center-left and stay popular. As he campaigns for Governor Hochul and a new wave of progressive congressional candidates this fall, all eyes are on whether the fame converts into durable policy wins.
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