Authored by Arjun Singh via The Epoch Times,
Mayor Eric Adams launched his campaign for the November general election during a June 26 press conference on the steps of City Hall, days after state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani presumptively won the Democratic primary.
Adams, 64, was elected in 2021 as a Democrat but chose not to run in the Democratic primary amid his unpopularity among progressive voters stemming from a now-withdrawn federal indictment on bribery charges and his concurrent decision to permit U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain foreign nationals at the city’s Rikers Island jail.
In the primary, Mamdani, 33, an Indian-Ugandan American state assemblyman from Queens, defeated former Gov. Andrew Cuomo on a progressive platform, making him Adams’s principal opponent in the general election. The city’s progressive lean makes the GOP a nonfactor in the race.
Adams addressed Mamdani’s victory and explained his reelection platform, which he presented as a continuation of work underway during his first term. He highlighted his actions during the COVID-19 pandemic, which was still underway when his term began.
“People were debating should our children be in school or not, but as a leader that was unwavering ... I stood strong and firm against the naysayers and said, ‘We’re going to open our schools and protect our children,’” said Adams.
He added: “Crime was moving at a higher rate. Businesses were fleeing this city. There was a lot of uncertainty. Black and brown unemployment was high. ... With my leadership, [I said] we must forge ahead a pattern and a pathway.”
Adams’s approval rating has significantly declined during his term. In March, it was 20 percent, the lowest in the 30-year-old poll’s recorded history. Additionally, 56 percent of voters wanted Adams to resign before his term concluded.
Adams stated that his term achieved several accomplishments in key areas, particularly in public safety and affordability, which are the top issues for voters.
“We took 20,000 guns off our streets ... and we prevented the loss of life of black and brown people. ... Gun arrests are at a record high, removals of guns are record high.
“Tech is booming, tourism is back, Broadway had the best 12 months in recorded history, construction is growing, and yes, Times Square is alive again,” said Adams. “We’re turning unused buildings into homes and streamlining permitting,” he said, addressing the housing crisis.
During his remarks, Adams also praised former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire owner of Bloomberg LP, who served as the city’s mayor for three terms from 2002 to 2013, and who remains popular in the city. Bloomberg, the city’s last Republican mayor who has since become a Democrat, endorsed Cuomo during the primary.
“I saw [leadership] when Mayor Bloomberg came into office. ... He turned around this city with real leadership and focus, and I knew I had to have that same leadership, and determination, and focus,” said Adams. “That’s why we’re here today ... asking for four more years,” he added, with the crowd breaking into a chant of “four more years.”
Adams said that if reelected, he would focus on reducing crime, launch a citywide mental health initiative, advance workforce development, expand housing, and clean streets.
Adams criticized Mamdani for having few political achievements. Adams previously served as the Borough president of Brooklyn, a New York state senator, and for 22 years in the New York City Police Department (NYPD), reaching the rank of captain.
“They have a record of tweets. I have a record on these streets,” Adams said. “They talk about problems; I fix them. ... You don’t lead this city from a soapbox.” He said Mamdani was “an assemblymember who did not pass a bill” and was promising a “fantasy state.”
Three bills sponsored by Mamdani have been signed into law during his tenure at the Legislature. Additionally, several provisions of bills that he introduced in the Assembly have been included in other legislation that eventually passed the body and were enacted.
Criticizing Mamdani’s Democratic Socialist politics, Adams said New York is “not a city of handouts” but “a city of ‘hands up.’”
“This is a city, not a socialism. ... There is no dignity in someone giving you everything for free. There’s dignity in giving you a job, so you can provide for your family,” Adams said.
“You are going to see a movement that you have never witnessed before. I told all of you, in the beginning, this was going to be the most interesting political campaign in the history of the city. It didn’t stop on June 24, it started on June 24,” he said. “I’m ready to be your mayor for another four years.”
Some protesters were constantly heckling during Adams’s remarks.
“You can call me all the names you want, but I’m only going to answer to one: Mayor Adams,” the mayor said.
Mamdani’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.