Poll finds Mamdani more popular than Netanyahu among Jewish Americans

Zohran Mamdani drew a higher favorability rating among Jewish Americans than Benjamin Netanyahu in a new AP-NORC poll, a striking result for a New York mayor who has drawn criticism from Jewish and pro-Israel advocates over his attacks on Israel. The finding puts a local U.S. political figure above Israel’s prime minister in a group long watched as a measure of support for Israel and its leaders.

The AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research surveyed 3,040 U.S. adults from June 11 to 17, including 1,022 respondents who identified as Jewish. Among Jewish adults, 44% viewed Mamdani favorably and 39% unfavorably, while 32% viewed Netanyahu favorably and 59% unfavorably. Mamdani’s net favorability among Jewish Americans came in at plus 5, compared with Netanyahu’s minus 27. The gap widened at the top end of the scale, with 21% of Jewish adults saying they had a very favorable view of Mamdani, versus 11% for Netanyahu.

The numbers land in a broader political moment in which support for Israel has slipped among U.S. adults and opinions have become more sharply divided by party and generation. For Jewish voters, the poll also shows how sharply attitudes toward Israeli leadership can diverge from local voting behavior. Mamdani won the New York City mayor’s race overall, but exit polling later showed he won about 33% of the Jewish vote, far behind Andrew Cuomo’s 63%, while Curtis Sliwa took 12%.

That split makes the poll more than a provocative comparison between two men. It suggests that some Jewish Americans who remain skeptical of Netanyahu are not necessarily embracing Mamdani’s politics, even after his election in New York City. Mamdani has remained a frequent target for critics over his stance on Israel, yet the poll shows he now draws more favorable views than the Israeli leader among Jewish respondents.

Curtis Sliwa, who ran against Mamdani as the Republican mayoral candidate, leaned into that contrast in his reaction, saying it was time for Bibi to go. In a race already defined by local divides over crime, housing and identity, the poll turned a New York mayor into part of a national argument over Jewish politics, Israel and the changing language of support.