New York — 12th District

On June 23, New Yorkers will finally cast their ballots in midterm primary elections. A series of new polls from Emerson College and PIX 11 are showing at least two very tight races, including in Manhattan’s closely watched 12th Congressional District.

The winner of that race will succeed the outgoing Jerry Nadler, who has represented large swathes of Manhattan — including the headquarters of some of the most valuable companies in America — for more than 30 years. In the poll, Assemblymember Micah Lasher, who is considered a Nadler protégé, leads the field with 22 percent, followed by Assemblymember Alex Bores with 20 percent. Political scion Jack Schlossberg receives 11 percent, and attorney and Trump critic George Conway comes in at 10 percent. But 32 percent of voters say they are undecided, suggesting the race is still very much up in the air.

In the Tenth Congressional District, which covers lower Manhattan and brownstone Brooklyn, there are signs of a potential primary landslide. Former comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander is leading Representative Dan Goldman 57 percent to 23 percent, an eye-catching 34 point lead over the incumbent, who is currently seeking his third term in office. Twenty percent of voters said they were undecided. Though there has been minimal public polling in the race, the New York Times reported last month that private polling from both the Lander and Goldman campaigns has shown Lander with a significant lead. Simone Kanter, Goldman’s campaign manager, disputed Emerson’s findings in a statement. “This poll is not remotely close to an accurate read of this race. The data we’ve seen shows a dead heat after messaging,” he said Thursday.

In New York’s Seventh Congressional District, candidates from multiple levels of local government are neck and neck in their bids to succeed retiring incumbent Nydia Velázquez in the Brooklyn- and Queens-based seat. The new poll shows first-term Assemblymember Claire Valdez with 23 percent to Brooklyn borough president Antonio Reynoso’s 21 percent, with City Councilmember Julie Won following with 13 percent. Forty-three percent of voters said they were undecided in the close race.

Each of the races has been marked by prominent endorsements, with both national and local figures looking to exert their political influence in the city. In the 12th District, Lasher is backed by several of his former bosses, including Nadler, Governor Kathy Hochul, and former mayor Michael Bloomberg, while Schlossberg was endorsed by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Fresh off his historic election, Mayor Zohran Mamdani wasted no time in throwing his weight behind several candidates, endorsing two of his campaign supporters, Lander and Valdez. In both instances, the mayor broke from some of his other allies; Hochul endorsed Goldman in the 10th District, while Velázquez endorsed Reynoso as her successor.

While it remains to be seen whether Mamdani’s backing will prove to be a game changer, the Emerson College–PIX 11 polls show the mayor is receiving high marks from voters in those districts. In the Seventh District, 78 percent of Democratic voters approve of the job Mamdani’s doing as mayor, compared to 79 percent in the Tenth District and 66 percent in the 12th District.