A new poll by The Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research has found that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, known for his sharply critical positions on Israel, holds a more favorable standing among American Jews than Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does.
The survey, conducted from June 11 to 17 among 3,040 Americans, including 1,022 respondents who identified as Jewish, found that 44 percent of Jewish respondents view Mamdani favorably, compared with just 32 percent who said the same of Netanyahu. On the other side of the ledger, 39 percent of Jewish respondents view Mamdani unfavorably, while 59 percent view Netanyahu unfavorably. The gap widens further among those with strongly positive views, 21 percent of Jewish respondents said they view Mamdani very favorably, compared with 11 percent for Netanyahu.
It is worth noting that the poll did not pit Mamdani and Netanyahu against each other directly. The two were evaluated separately and independently as part of a broader list of public figures and issues, so the comparison reflects two independent favorability ratings rather than a head to head contest.
By comparison, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, a strong supporter of Israel who has also criticized aspects of Netanyahu's leadership, scored a substantially higher net favorability than either man, with 41 percent viewing him favorably against 21 percent unfavorably.
The poll also captured a broader shift in how American Jews view Israel's conduct in Gaza. Thirty percent of Jewish respondents said they believe Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians during the war, a figure nearly identical to the 31 percent recorded among all Americans surveyed. The real divergence shows up on the other side of the question. Forty nine percent of Jewish respondents explicitly rejected the genocide characterization, compared with only 20 percent of the general public. General public uncertainty was far higher too, with 49 percent of all Americans saying they did not know enough to answer, compared with just 21 percent of Jewish respondents.
Other findings in the poll point to a more layered picture than a simple hardening against Israel. Seventy three percent of Jewish respondents said Israel's initial military response to the October 7 Hamas attack was justified, and 79 percent said the October 7 attack itself was not justified. Views were far more split on the continuation of Israel's military campaign in Gaza through last year's ceasefire, with 42 percent calling it justified and 43 percent calling it unjustified. Sixty nine percent of Jewish respondents also said Hamas's refusal to disarm following the October 2025 ceasefire was not justified.
