Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old Democratic Socialist candidate for New York City mayor, attracted widespread attention after attempting to bench press 135 pounds at a Men’s Day event in Brooklyn. Mamdani struggled to lift the weight without assistance and required a spotter to complete two reps, failing to perform an unassisted lift. The incident went viral and drew criticism and mockery from political opponents and commentators, including former NYC Mayor Eric Adams and Andrew Cuomo. Despite the bench press episode, Mamdani remains a leading candidate in the mayoral race, with recent polls showing him holding 42% support compared to Cuomo's 26% in a multi-candidate field, although Cuomo leads 52% to 41% in a head-to-head matchup. The event has sparked discussions about Mamdani's physical fitness and its political implications ahead of the election scheduled in approximately 69 days.
With the election 69 days away, this is huge - a new poll shows Mamdani beating Cuomo 42%-26% if Adams, Sliwa and Walden stay in the race - BUT Cuomo winning 52%-41% in a head-to-head matchup. I don't think the field needs to consolidate now, but 3 of the 4 rivals (Adams, Sliwa
🚨BREAKING: NYC Mayor Eric Adams just BEAT Democrat Andrew Cuomo in a new Gotham poll: Adams - 35% Cuomo - 24% Andrew Cuomo should DROP OUT so Eric Adams can beat Mamdani! https://t.co/wYXvPvHP7J
NY Mayor Race 42% Mamdani 26% Cuomo 17% Sliwa 9% Adams 3% Jim Walden (Tulchin Research)