Nearly half of NYC’s Asian American voters backed Mamdani

Nearly half of New York City’s Asian American voters, or 49.1%, supported Zohran Mamdani in the 2025 mayoral election, while 33.8% backed former Governor Andrew Cuomo, according to a joint exit poll by the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund and the Asian American Federation.

Mamdani, 34, became the city’s first South Asian and Muslim mayor after an election that saw record participation from Asian American voters, who make up nearly 16% of New York’s population. The poll surveyed 1,268 voters across Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx.

The exit poll reported that 50.2% of Asian American voters identified the economy and jobs as their most important election issue. Housing affordability, small business support and wage equity followed as major concerns. These priorities aligned closely with Mamdani’s platform, which emphasized affordable housing, workers’ rights and investment in public services.

Voter engagement was especially strong in neighborhoods such as Jackson Heights, Flushing and Sunset Park, where Asian Americans form a significant portion of the electorate. Support varied across ethnic subgroups, with South Asian voters showing the highest level of backing for Mamdani at 87.2%, compared with 9.6% for Cuomo. Chinese, Korean and Filipino voters were more evenly divided between the two candidates.

The poll also revealed a measurable shift in voting patterns. Twenty percent of Asian American voters who supported Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election cast their ballots for Mamdani in 2025. Researchers said the crossover reflected issue-based voting, particularly on economic recovery and local representation, rather than party loyalty.