Within hours of Zohran Mamdani’s election as New York’s first Muslim mayor, there were swift and harsh reactions from his Jewish critics. Notably, the Anti-Defamation League, which combats antisemitism, launched an initiative to track policies and personnel appointments of the incoming administration. The ADL said its goal was to protect Jewish residents during what it called a period of unprecedented antisemitism in New York City. Mamdani's main rival, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, received roughly 60% of the Jewish vote, according to the AP Voter Poll, after a campaign that highlighted Mamdani's denunciations of Israel. The poll said about 3-in-10 Jewish voters supported Mamdani.

There were signs in the AP Voter Poll that there’s plenty of room for Democrats to make up ground among groups that moved toward President Donald Trump in last year’s election. The sweeping survey of more than 17,000 voters in New Jersey, Virginia, California and New York City that explains who voted in each election and their views on the top issues in their state. But even with major wins, the survey also exposed fault lines for Democrats. Young men were less likely than young women to support Democrats in the governor’s races, and Jewish voters in New York City appeared wary of supporting Democratic nominee, Zohran Mamdani.

If Zohran Mamdani wins New York City’s mayor’s race next month, he would become the city’s first Muslim mayor and its youngest in a century. But his election would also shatter another long-standing norm – that New York politicians remain fiercely supportive of Israel. Mamdani, a democratic socialist and staunch supporter of Palestinian rights, has described himself as an anti-Zionist and accused Israel of genocide. But as his opponent, Andrew Cuomo, has seized on those views as evidence of antisemitism, polls show the broader electorate is increasingly sympathetic to Mamdani’s position. That has caused consternation among pro-Israel supporters.