A new poll showing New York’s erstwhile governor, Andrew Cuomo, leading Mayor Adamas 44 percent to 24 percent in a hypothetical matchup for City Hall in 2025 throws into sharp relief the struggles of Hizzoner and the recuperating fortunes of the one time gubernator who resigned in disgrace.

The survey, which canvassed Democrats, was conducted by American Pulse & Research Polling. It found one third of respondents to be undecided. While caveats abound — the poll was commissioned by an antagonist of Mr. Adams, the vigilante talk show host Curtis Sliwa — it suggests that Mr. Adams’s standing is at a low ebb, with 58 percent disapproving of his job performance.

A representative for Mr. Adams calls the results ​​”simply not credible” and “paid for by a group headed by Mayor Adams’ Trump-supporting Republican opponent in the last election,” a reference to Mr. Sliwa. Mr. Cuomo tells Fox 5 that “we should stand with the mayor.” A Marist poll this month of New Yorkers of all political stripes, though, shows Mr. Adams with just a 37 percent approval rating.

When asked at a press conference on Tuesday about those  apparently dire outcomes, Mr. Adams reflected that in his last campaign, he trailed the entrepreneur Andrew Yang, who was “so happy on skateboards and you know, cheery-faced” before Mr. Adams surpassed him. He reflected that “this is the game of politics, and some people are going to politicize this moment.”    

Mr. Cuomo is likely to be buoyed by these results. The numbers come days after a former aide, Brittany Commisso, accused Mr. Cuomo of “pervasive abusive conduct” in a lawsuit filed under the Adult Survivors Act. He denies those allegations, and his lawyer calls them a “cash grab.” Mr. Adams was last week sued under that same statute, accused of assaulting a woman in Florida 30 years ago. He too denies the charges.

Mr. Adams has more proximate political headaches, as well. Federal investigators appear to be homing in on whether his successful mayoral campaign conspired with the Turkish government and Turkish nationals to facilitate illegal donations. This probe has involved a raid on the home of his erstwhile chief fundraiser, Brianna Suggs. Hizzoner was also escorted into his SUV by agents who proceeded to confiscate his electronic devices. 

Mr. Adams, in a statement, reflected that as a “former member of law enforcement, I expect all members of my staff to follow the law and fully cooperate with any sort of investigation — and I will continue to do exactly that.” He insists that he has “nothing to hide.” The search warrant indicates that a Brooklyn company, KSK Construction, is also under investigation.

Mr. Adams’s burgeoning legal woes — alongside unrelenting migrant crisis, stubbornly high crime, a controversy over congestion pricing, budget cuts, and other urban woes — appear to have rolled aside a rock for a Lazarus-like comeback for Mr. Cuomo, who resigned in August of 2021 after three terms as New York’s chief executive. That includes a star-making turn on television during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr. Cuomo, whose father Mario also served as governor and who flirted with a presidential run, was undone by a report from New York’s attorney general, Letitia James, that concluded that he  sexually harassed 11 women and retaliated against at least one of them. Ms. James, a foe of Mr. Cuomo and President Trump alike, also accused the former governor of underreporting Covid death tolls in state nursing homes..

Mr. Cuomo has asked the state Supreme Court to investigate that report from Ms. James, arguing that she manipulated its contents to advance her own political designs. He claimed it was “ meant to be prejudicial and highly inflammatory, and to villainize me in the public eye, and to mislead the public and the press.” In January, 2022 all of the outstanding criminal complaints against Mr. Cuomo were dismissed for lack of evidence. 

If Mr. Cuomo grows impatient on the political sidelines, his date with destiny could come even earlier than 2025. New York’s junior senator, Kirsten Gillibrand, is up for reelection next year. The same poll, though, that showed the former governor with a lead over Mr. Adams show him trailing Ms. Gillibrand by a margin of 35 percent to 49 percent.    

Last week, Mr. Adamas took to a radio station, La Mega 97.9, to share that while Mr. Cuomo is “looking at his next political move” he “doesn’t see him running for mayor.” Mr. Cuomo père ultimately decided against a presidential run. Many see that as a missed moment. His son, after a spell in the political wilderness, could soon decide not to risk its repetition.