Former New York Gov. David Paterson endorsed embattled Mayor Eric Adams’ bid for reelection, hoping his status as the state’s first Black governor would give the incumbent’s struggling campaign a jolt of momentum.

Mr. Adams, the city’s second Black mayor, needs the help. Black voters who helped put him into office in 2021 and stiffed Zohran Mamdani in the Democratic primary are likely the key to any comeback against the front-runner, a 33-year-old democratic socialist.

Standing alongside Mr. Adams outside City Hall, Mr. Paterson said the mayor is a “dynamic, articulate, receptive, courageous and outspoken” leader who has strengthened the city.

“Like everyone in life, and certainly most people in politics, there have been some pitfalls, there would be some times when perhaps he might have done things differently,” said Mr. Paterson, seeming to refer to corruption allegations against Mr. Adams. “But the mark of an individual that really deserves the position that he wants to continue after Election Day this fall is that they recognize that and they are able to make the necessary changes to improve their work beyond where it already has been.”

Mr. Adams called Mr. Paterson, who also served as the state’s first Black lieutenant governor, his “mentor” and a “trailblazer.”

How much the endorsement can help Mr. Adams is uncertain. The incumbent faces an uphill battle and has been touting his record on housing, jobs and crime.

A Siena College poll released this week showed that 7% of registered voters in New York City supported Mr. Adams’ independent mayoral bid.

The 64-year-old former police officer is running behind all contenders: Mr. Mamdani, at 44%, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, at 25% and Republican Curtis Sliwa, at 12%.

Also, Mr. Adams’ approval rating is underwater. Roughly 6 in 10 registered voters pan his job performance.

Asked to sum up the findings, Siena College pollster Stan Greenberg said: “Eric Adams is in a world of trouble with voters right now.”

Mr. Adams has struggled to generate momentum for his reelection since the Biden-led Department of Justice charged him last year with federal bribery and corruption charges.

Things did not get any easier for him politically after the Trump-led Justice Department handed him a get-out-of-jail-free card by deciding not to pursue the charges because it could interfere with the administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration.

That decision has raised doubts about Mr. Adams’ political independence and whether he now owes a favor to the Democratic Party’s biggest boogeyman: President Trump.

It also motivated him to skip the Democratic primary and run as an independent, alongside Mr. Cuomo.

Mr. Paterson, who endorsed Mr. Cuomo in the primary and later tried to get the anti-Mamdani forces to rally against a single alternative, suggested Wednesday that voters cut Mr. Adams some slack.

“So, let not anybody confuse the issue by suggesting that he has been anything less than a hardworking person who, like all of us, goes through many challenges and comes out on top,” Mr. Paterson said.

Mr. Paterson’s endorsement of Mr. Adams highlighted one of Mr. Mamdani’s weak spots: Black voters, traditionally one of the city’s powerful constituencies.

They helped elect David Dinkins as the city’s first Black mayor in 1989 and contributed to Bill de Blasio’s election.

However, Mr. Mamdani cruised to victory in the primary despite losing Black voters by 16 percentage points to Mr. Cuomo, triggering analysis about the city’s shifting political landscape and questioning traditional thinking about the Black vote.

Mr. Mamdani was preferred by Black voters younger than 50, underscoring how his fresh face and message about making the city more affordable have resonated with a new generation of voters disillusioned with the status quo and seeking something new.

“It is not like Black voters are some unicorns,” Christina Greer, a political science professor at Fordham University specializing in Black politics, said in a recent “FAQ NYC” podcast. “They want what everybody else wants: They want safety and prosperity.

“It is not rocket science, and I think Mamdani figured it out,” she said.

Ms. Greer said it is not surprising that older Black voters are more likely to opt for what they know.

“Older black homeowning voters are not necessarily going to vote for some 33-year-old Indian kid they have never heard of,” she said.

Mr. Adams has accused Mr. Cuomo of pushing aside Black leaders throughout his political career.

“People who are not in government really don’t fully understand how Andrew has operated,” Mr. Adams said last month on “The Reset Talk Show.” “He has a history of sabotaging Black electeds.”

Less than three months ahead of the election, Mr. Adams insists that his reelection race will not truly begin until about five weeks before Election Day and that people still do not know his record of accomplishments on housing, lowering taxes and reducing crime.

“I can’t be any clearer that we have yet to tell our story,” Mr. Adams said outside City Hall on Wednesday. “And having Gov. Paterson being able to articulate and show us how to continue to get our story out is a real win.”

• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.