CNN’s chief data analyst Harry Enten on Wednesday dismissed talk that New York City’s Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani is “remaking” the general electorate and recruiting new voters, noting that a “clear, vast” majority of his voters backed former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.
“The primary win may have been historic, but the reason he leads in the general election is not historic at all,” said Enten in a segment with CNN’s John Berman.
Enten explained that New York City is a “very Democratic city,” one that Harris “did quite well in” and where 62% of all likely voters in November’s mayoral election voted for her last year, per a recent New York Times/Siena College poll.
Enten added that 86% of Mamdani’s voters backed Harris, according to the poll. The democratic socialist also leads former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (64% to 25%) among Harris voters.
“He, simply put, is winning over Democrats, which in New York City is enough,” he said of Mamdani.
