Poll Shows Andrew Yang Leading Democrat Primary in New York City Mayoral Race

Democratic presidential hopeful, US entrepreneur, Andrew Yang gestures as he speaks at the
CHRIS CARLSON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Hannah Knudsen

Former presidential candidate and tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang (D) is leading the field of Democrat primary candidates in the 2021 New York City mayor’s race, a Fontas/CODA Pulse of the Primary Poll released this week found.

The survey, taken January 20-25 among 842 likely voters, showed Yang appearing to have the most recognizable name in the field of candidates. He led the race with 28 percent support. Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams followed with 17 percent. New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer earned 13 percent support.

Former Obama administration official Shaun Donovan and lawyer and civil rights activist Maya Wiley tied with eight percent each. The remaining candidates garnered two percent or less. Nearly one-fifth of respondents, or 19 percent, were undecided.

The Chinese coronavirus appears to be a major factor for New York City voters. The survey found:

  • 57% of likely voters said “the pandemic caused a significant negative impact on my household finances.” (26% strongly agree + 31% somewhat agree)
  • 47% indicated that “If I had the ability, I would consider moving out of NYC permanently.” (19% strongly agree + 28% somewhat agree)
  • When presented with a list of nine major topics frequently discussed on the campaign trail, nearly half of voters (49%) said the “most important” issue to them when considering the candidates relates to COVID [coronavirus]: health aspects (30% “preventing the spread of COVID / vaccine distribution”), as well as economic aspects (19% “reopening the economy / job creation”).

The survey’s margin of error is +/-3.38 percent.

Yang, who rose to the national spotlight during the presidential Democrat primary race with his distinct happy-go-lucky attitude and pitch for Universal Basic Income (UBI), filed paperwork to run for mayor in December but took a brief break from the campaign trail after testing positive for the Wuhan virus earlier this month.

“Wow — let’s keep the momentum going and growing and get New York back on its feet!” Yang said Wednesday in reaction to the poll:

“The city could help restaurants buy heat lamps, dividers and air filtration systems in bulk — bring the costs down for the small businesses trying to stay open,” he pitched on Wednesday. “We need to be a partner to firms trying to make it work”:

In December, Yang floated a barcode program for Americans to prove that they have received a vaccination for the novel coronavirus:

The New York City mayoral primaries will be held June 22, 2021. Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) is ineligible to run due to term limits.

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