New York State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, a Muslim of Indian-Ugandan descent, leads former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in the NYC mayoral race just two weeks before the Democratic primary, according to a new poll conducted by Public Policy Polling and released on Wednesday.

Despite being initially seen as a long-shot candidate, the poll showed Mamdani, a 33-year-old naturalized citizen running as a democratic socialist, leading with 35 percent to Cuomo's 31 percent. The remaining candidates polled around the 10 percent mark.

“All gas, no brakes,” Mamdani wrote on X after the results were released.

The polling came a day before the final mayoral debate on Thursday, during which Mamdani and Cuomo clashed over a range of issues including age, experience, jobs, and Mamdani’s faith.

Cuomo, when asked whether he had made a public visit to a mosque, responded, “I believe I have — I would have to check the record,” adding, “Off the top of my head, I can’t tell you where I went.” When asked what message he had for the city’s Muslims, he said, “We are a city of immigrants. I welcome them. I love them.”

Cuomo then added, “I’m not Mr. Mamdani. I’m not antisemitic. I’m not divisive,” prompting Mamdani to reference a super PAC ad supporting Cuomo that altered his facial features, including his beard—calling it Islamophobic and a reflection of Cuomo’s disingenuous stance.

“The reason he doesn’t have a message for Muslim New Yorkers is because he has nothing to say to us, because he doesn’t see us as if we are every other New Yorker,” Mamdani said.

In his ongoing campaign, Mamdani has been highlighting his Muslim identity and galvanizing support from New Yorkers outraged by Israel’s 20-month assault on Gaza, which he has publicly called a genocide.

However, he is primarily running on the issue of affordability, according to Politico, which first reported the poll results. Mamdani spokesperson Andrew Epstein said their campaign is focused on issues facing working-class New Yorkers.

“When you run a disciplined, grassroots campaign relentlessly focused on an agenda to address the crises in working people's lives, these are the results,” Epstein said. “New York City is so close to turning the page on the corrupt politics of the past and winning a future we can afford.”

In another mayoral debate held Sunday, Mamdani was asked if he would visit Israel if elected mayor. He replied that due to his support of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, and a 2017 Israeli law barring entry to BDS supporters, he likely wouldn’t be allowed to enter the country.

“I’m not even sure if I would be allowed to enter Israel, because I think that there’s legislation that prohibits the entry of anyone who supports that legislation,” he said.

Mamdani has publicly called for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s arrest by the International Criminal Court and does not equate anti-Zionism with antisemitism, according to The New York Times.