Eric Adams may disagree with mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, but he respects him more than the other candidates competing in the Democratic mayoral primary. Speaking at his weekly press conference on Tuesday, the mayor drew a distinction between the Democratic Socialist assemblymember from Queens and the other candidates in the race, granting him unexpected praise for his ideological consistency.
“I don’t agree with his stance on many things,” Adams told reporters in City Hall, referring to Mamdani. “But I respect the fact he’s true to who he is.” The mayor later added: “I disagree with him, but at least he’s not this politician that puts a finger in the air and sees where the wind is blowing.” When it came to candidates in the race that follow the wind, as it were, Adams did not call out anyone by name, although it was clear from the litany of examples that he was referring to Andrew Cuomo. “One year you are for Tier 6, taking away the retirement of civil servants, next time you aren’t. One year you’re for congestion pricing, next time you aren’t,” the mayor said, referencing issues on which the former governor has changed his position as a candidate.
Tier 6 was a controversial retirement reform for civil servants passed by Cuomo as governor in 2012, which raised the retirement age and cut benefits for new hires, a policy from which he has since distanced himself by calling it “ancient history.” On congestion pricing, Cuomo initially came out for the measure, then denounced it, and then declared his support for it again last week in an interview with the New York Times. Adams also called him out for the 15,000 seniors who died in nursing homes due to his policies during the COVID-19 pandemic, and briefly referenced Brad Lander as another “finger in the air” candidate.
Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old state assemblymember representing Astoria, Queens, has run a grassroots campaign on progressive policies, like implementing a rent freeze and establishing a chain of city-owned grocery stores to compete with private offerings. Cuomo has centered his campaign on his experience in the governor’s office and at the White House as President Bill Clinton’s HUD secretary, promising to increase the supply of affordable housing and expand resources for the NYPD. Mamdani and Cuomo are the two frontrunners in the Democratic primary race, with the former governor’s once-commanding 40-point lead reduced to 12 points, or perhaps even just two, according to the latest polls.
Every other primary hopeful in the race is polling at single digits. Seven Democratic candidates will participate the final debate this Thursday, June 12th, which is also the day that early voting starts. Mayor Adams, who ran as a Democrat in 2021, is instead running as an independent this time, bypassing the Democratic party primary.
