Does Vancouver want a Mamdani-style mayor? Here’s what a new poll found

A new poll shows voters are split when it comes to supporting Mayor Ken Sim and his ABC party, with some looking to New York for inspiration on civic politics.

A new poll has found that when it comes to politics, many Vancouver voters are looking south of the border for inspiration. But not necessarily to the White House.

Almost three-in-five residents surveyed by Vancouver-based Research Co. believe the city needs a leader like New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

The self-proclaimed democratic socialist was sworn into office on New Year’s Day, on promises to bring transformative change to one of the world’s most expensive cities.

“Two thirds of Vancouverites aged 18-to-34 (67%) think the city would benefit from a mayor and council like the one currently in place in New York,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “Majorities of residents aged 35-to-45 (53%) and aged 55 and over (60%) share this view.”

But nearly a quarter of Vancouverites think a Mamdani-like mayor is too risky for the city, fearing a downturn of investment and a soft-on-crime approach.

Voters split on Sim’s performance

It’s been more than three years since Mayor Ken Sim was elected in a decisive victory, echoing similar calls to bring major change to city hall.

But with just a few months left in his term, the online survey found voters split on how Sim and his ABC party have performed so far.

Twenty-seven per cent of respondents think the mayor and his majority may not have gotten everything right, but said they are willing to give Sim and ABC another term.

An equal percentage of people said they would prefer someone with different ideas.

A higher percentage of people are somewhere in the middle, with 32 per cent calling for a change in leadership at city hall, but not a major change in policy.

More progressive voices on council

The next municipal election on Oct. 17 sees a growing number of challengers hoping to unseat Sim for the city’s top job.

Green Party Coun. Pete Fry is the latest candidate to enter the crowded field, joining Kareem Allam with the Vancouver Liberals, Rebecca Bligh with Vote Vancouver, and either Amanda Burrows or William Azaroff, who are both running for the OneCity mayoral nomination.

A byelection last spring saw ABC Vancouver lose some of their earlier momentum, when the party’s candidates were handily defeated by COPE’S Sean Orr and OneCity’s Lucy Maloney.

But the poll found 44 per cent said the city “definitely” or “probably” needs more council members with left-wing views like Orr and Maloney, while 25 per cent disagreed with that proposition and 30 per cent were not sure.

The results are based on an online survey conducted among 401 adults between Jan. 26 and Jan 28, according to Research Co. The data was statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region and the margin of error is plus or minus 4.9 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.