For Mayor Eric Adams, it was the best imaginable news in an otherwise miserable year: On Wednesday, a judge ruled that his federal corruption case would be dismissed for good, putting an end to an indictment that has left him on political life support.
Adams has always insisted that he did nothing wrong. Following the decision, he held a brief press conference at Gracie Mansion where he said the “baseless” case “should have never been brought in the first place” and promoted a book by President Donald Trump’s FBI director, Kash Patel.
But will the dismissal of the charges – which forever link him to Trump and an unprecedented intervention by the Department of Justice – translate into vindication? And will it breathe new life into his re-election campaign?
The mayor didn’t take reporters’ questions on Wednesday, but as he bounded up the steps of Gracie Mansion, he declared, “I’m going to win.”
Political experts say otherwise.
“Eric Adams has been a nonfactor in the mayor’s race. He will continue to be a nonfactor,” said Trip Yang, a Democratic strategist who is not working on any of the 2025 mayoral campaigns.
Indeed, Adams has been in the single digits in multiple polls. And his approval ratings are at a historic low. A Quinnipiac University survey in March found that 72% of Democrats said Adams should resign.
“Donald Trump might be more popular with New York Democrats than Eric Adams is,” Yang said. “That’s how bad it is.”
Basil Smikle, a former Democratic strategist who teaches at Columbia University, said the mayor cannot “unring the bell” when it comes to his indictment. Smikle said Adams’ reluctance to criticize Trump — a stance that puts him at odds with many of his primary opponents — is even more problematic.
“It’s not insurmountable,” Smikle said, “but it’s a lot of ground he has to cover politically in a short period of time.”
Before the ruling, Adams had sent mixed signals about his commitment to run for a second term. He hasn’t held any campaign events and he’s seen a steep drop in his fundraising. At his weekly press conference on Tuesday, he refused to say whether he plans to file petitions to get on the ballot for the Democratic primary. The petitions are due Thursday at midnight.
But Adams also delivered his most caustic criticism yet of Andrew Cuomo, a front-runner with plenty of his own political baggage. Polls show the former governor with a comfortable lead against a crowded field, but opponents are repeatedly attacking him over his handling of nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic and other policy decisions.
Adams accused Cuomo of being out of touch.
“Ask him when was the last time he was on the subway alone,” Adams told reporters. (The mayor is certainly no stranger to the subways. Just last month he reminisced about riding the A train to visit a “shorty in Rockaway.”)
The mayor’s jabs at Cuomo were a reminder that Adams can be an effective campaigner. But will it be sufficient to defeat Cuomo, who is running on a similar moderate platform centered on public safety?
“Andrew Cuomo is a deluxe supercharged version of Eric Adams,” Yang said. “The best version of Eric Adams is not the one standing before us today.”
Ballot Box
This week we're wondering: Does the dismissal of the mayor’s charges change how you plan to vote?
Last week we asked: Which mayoral campaign did you donate to?
Out of our 10 respondents, one donated to Andrew Cuomo, five donated to Zohran Mamdani and four chose other candidates not in the top six.
Talk to us.
Ask a question. If you're confused about something in New York politics, you probably aren't alone. Submit a question here. We may answer it in a future newsletter and/or on air.
Submit a news tip. Is there something we should know? You can use this form to share a news tip. You can also email our editor, Maia Hibbett: mhibbett@wnyc.org.
7 headlines
This was Mayor Adams’ first order of business after a federal judge dismissed his corruption case.
Should drivers with speeding records have “speed limiters” on their cars? Some lawmakers think so.
The Working Families Party voted late Saturday to endorse a slate of four left-leaning Democrats. See whom.
New York state is on track to prohibit students from using their smartphones during the entire school day. This is where the bill stands.
Listen: Brian Lehrer spoke with Andrew Marantz, staff writer at the New Yorker and author, about how the left can connect with young men after the presidential election showed the demographic heavily favoring Trump. Listen here.
