Adams, Wiley lead field in NYC mayoral primary: poll

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and civil rights lawyer Maya Wiley lead in a new poll of the Democratic primary field in the New York City mayoral race. 

A Thursday poll from PIX11/NewsNation/Emerson College shows 23 percent of likely primary voters say they will rank Adams as their first choice, followed by 18 percent who say Wiley is their first pick.

Former New York City Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia is right behind the two at 17 percent, while former presidential candidate Andrew Yang comes in fourth with 14 percent.

No other candidate breaks double digits in the first round of voting.

Ranked choice voting is being used for Tuesday’s primary for the first time in the city’s history. Under the system, voters can rank their preferred choices, and ballots for subsequent picks will be reallocated until one person gets 50 percent or more of the vote.

The poll shows Adams ultimately beating Garcia in a 10th round by less than 4 points. Wiley gets knocked out in the ninth round, while Yang makes it to the eighth round before being eliminated from contention.

The results are similar to those of a Marist Poll survey from earlier this week that showed Adams defeating Garcia in the final round. 

Adams is broadly considered the frontrunner in the race, though observers say the contest remains a toss up and could conceivably be won by any of the top four contenders. 

Yang entered the race on top of the polls, but ultimately ceded ground to Adams, who has campaigned on a strong law enforcement platform, and Garcia, whose message as an effective manager was lent credibility by endorsements from The New York Times and the New York Daily News.

Meanwhile, Wiley, an attorney who worked for Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) and a former MSNBC legal analyst, has been buoyed by a coalescence around her campaign by progressive groups and lawmakers in the city. 

Whoever wins the nomination next week will be the overwhelming favorite to replace the term-limited de Blasio given the city’s deep Democratic advantage. 

The PIX11/NewsNation/Emerson College poll surveyed 664 likely primary voters from June 15-16 and has a margin of error of 3.7 percent.