Brent Scher

New York officially has a heavyweight political bout on its hands in 2026.A new survey of New York voters shows Kathy Hochul, the incumbent Democrat governor, with a slight single-digit lead over Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, and also that the race could get even tighter if New York City voters elect socialist Zohran Mamdani next month.Hochul leads Stefanik 48% to 43%, according to the GrayHouse poll conducted late last month just after the governor endorsed Mamdani. Hochul finds herself in a “deeply vulnerable position,” the polling memo reviewed by The Daily Wire states, especially given underlying data points that indicate the race will only tighten.It shows, for example, that a win by Mamdani in the mayor’s race makes 47% of independent voters less willing to vote for a Democrat for governor, with only 9% saying it would make them more likely to vote for a Democrat. When voters were asked whether they wanted Hochul reelected or whether it was time for someone else, 59% of New