In A Crowded New York City Mayoral Field, A Legislative Leader Considers Late Entry
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NEW YORK — City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, a relatively low-profile legislative leader who has publicly sparred with Mayor Eric Adams, has taken a key step toward a last-minute challenge to the mayor’s reelection bid.
The 64-year-old legislative leader said she is giving a run “increasingly serious consideration” after being encouraged by “more and more serious stakeholders.” She is expected to announce a decision after delivering her State of the City address Tuesday and filed a fundraising committee Wednesday night.
“The urgency of this moment and the need for dignified and steady leadership that puts New Yorkers first and fights for the soul of our city is something we need now more than ever,” Adams said in a statement. “We are taking the steps to prepare a robust campaign should I decide to seek becoming the first woman to be mayor of New York City.”
Her anticipated candidacy, which POLITICO reported was being encouraged by Attorney General Letitia James and some labor leaders, would jolt an already topsy-turvy race to unseat the indicted incumbent to whom she bears no relation. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo is expected to enter the Democratic field Sunday as an early front-runner with high name recognition.
But some New York political leaders are still casting about for a candidate and have begun showing interest in Speaker Adams — a church-going grandmother from a high-turnout area in Queens and the first Black woman to lead the City Council.
Speaker Adams filed a mayoral committee with the New York City Campaign Finance Board, allowing her to start fundraising ahead of the June 24 Democratic primary. The New York Times and Gothamist first reported the news.
The speaker, whose council term ends Dec. 31, did not appear interested in a run for higher office, unlike every speaker before her. She would face massive barriers running for a citywide campaign this late in the cycle.
She had just over $211,000 in a campaign account, while top contenders for mayor have upward of $2 million. Even if she were to fundraise quickly, she would not be eligible for a payment from the city’s 8-to-1 matching funds program until mid-April at the earliest. And if she doesn’t raise enough to meet the threshold in the next three weeks, her next opportunity to get matching funds that are key to running a competitive mayoral race would be May 30, just weeks before election day.
The field is crowded, and the speaker has not cultivated a citywide identity during her time leading the legislative body, though she has repeatedly fought with the unpopular mayor.
Her consideration of running indicates some members of the political class dread a comeback from Cuomo, who was known for his take-no-prisoners leadership style before he resigned in 2021 when the state attorney general’s report substantiated accusations he sexually harassed 11 women. He has vehemently denied those accusations.
Speaker Adams could complicate Cuomo’s path to victory, which would include running up the margins in predominantly Black neighborhoods where he maintained a high level of support during his gubernatorial runs.
Those same voters helped secure Mayor Adams’ victory in 2021, but his reelection path has narrowed following his federal indictment, his denial of public matching funds and his cultivating a relationship with Republican President Donald Trump.
Her predecessors as council speaker have all been unsuccessful in seeking higher office, as managing the flow of legislation from 50 other lawmakers results in heavy political baggage. Since she was not previously planning a run for higher office, she has done less of the glad-handing and relationship building that build the groundwork for a citywide run.
That hurt her at Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem last Sunday. Adams attended the service, but Senior Pastor Kevin Johnson told POLITICO she could not deliver remarks, since she had not previously come to meet with him.
Cuomo had lunch with Johnson the week before.