Marist Poll Shows Adams Leading, Yang Sinks to Fourth

With one week for the New York City mayor primary election and early voting begun, Eric Adams has taken the lead and former frontrunner Andrew Yang has sunk to fourth place.

The latest poll, from Marist, showed Adams in first place with 24%, Kathryn Garcia in second place with 17%, Maya Wiley in third place with 15%, and Andrew Yang in fourth place with 13%.

There was a 3.8% margin for error in the poll, which was conducted among 876 likely Democrat primary voters between June 3-June 9. According to the poll, the ranked-voting system would go through 12 rounds before concluding with Adams as the victor with 56% and Garcia in second place with 44%.

Garcia, the former sanitation commissioner, had been mired in single-digit support until she received a boost when she was endorsed by the New York Times and the New York Daily News. Wiley, a civil rights lawyer who served as counsel to Mayor Bill der Blasio, has seen a consolidation of support from liberal politicians such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Her gains come after the two candidates running as progressives, Scott Stringer and Dianne Morales, were engulfed in controversy.

Yang, who for months enjoyed status and media attention as the frontrunner, has seen his momentum falter while Adams, a former police officer, has gained traction. The tech entrepreneur won popularity for his anti-poverty economic programs during his failed presidential run and has been campaigning heavily on bringing new energy and ideas to City Hall as an unconventional, charismatic leader who has never held political office before. Adams, who has spent decades in civil service, has touted his experience and his support for the working-class, and has the most union backing in the race.

Another poll released Monday, by the Manhattan Institute/Public Opinion Strategies also showed the same order of first place votes, with Adams followed by Garcia, Wiley and Yang. But in that poll, the gap between Adams and Garcia is only two points for first-place votes — and it is Garcia who prevails after 11 rounds of ranked-choice voting tabulations.

Both candidates have campaigned heavily in the Jewish community and have split a slew of high-profile endorsements between them.

Yang received endorsements from the Jewish community early on, with support from Assemblymember Daniel Rosenthal of Central Queens, Assmblymember Simcha Eichenstein and Councilmember Kalman Yeger, and activists from the Williamsburg and Boro Park communities.

Adams received support from Williamsburg activists in the Satmar community of the Rebbe Harav Aaron Teitelbaum, Chabad activists from Crown Heights, the Sephardic Community Federation, the Far Rockaway Jewish Alliance, and the Flatbush Jewish Community Coalition.

Yang won support for his strong commitment to yeshiva autonomy, Adams for his ties to the Jewish community built from his years representing Brooklyn, and his stance of policing and public safety.

The issue of public safety has become one of the most urgent questions in the mayoral race and one Adams, a former police officer with 22 years on the job, has the most experience with. Yang’s media attention gave way to more media scrutiny, and his stumbles over specific details on issues such as transit budgets raised questions about his knowledge of city issues.

As Adams solidified his position as frontrunner these past few weeks, the media picked up on rumors the New York City mayoral candidate lived in New Jersey. Politico revealed Adams listed an apartment in Prospect Heights as his main address on registration forms for his campaign and registered to vote from an address for an apartment in Bed-Stuy but did not appear to live in either of them. During the early days of the pandemic, he worked and slept in Brooklyn Borough Hall. Since then, Politicio reported, he may have been staying at an apartment he owned in Fort Lee, New Jersey.

To address the rumors, Adams held a press conference at his Bed-Stuy residence with his adult son from a previous relationship. He gave reporters a tour of the apartment, but it did not lay the rumors to rest. The fridge was filled with fish, something Adams, who is vegan for health reasons, does not eat. The fish, Adams said, was for his son, who stays in the apartment often.

Yang, when he was the apparent frontrunner, faced accusations from rivals that he and his family moved to their second home in upstate New York rather than stay in Manhattan during the early months of the pandemic.

The primary will be held June 22, and early voting begins June 12. Voters can find their early voting site and their Primary Day voting site online.

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smarcus@hamodia.com