Mayor Adams’s independent pivot, candidates seem unfazed

By Nayaba Arinde
Editor-at-Large
On a longer political runway now – a newly independent candidate Mayor Eric Adams feels that he is cleared to take off for the General Election next November.
Columbia Professor Basil Smikle told Our Time Press that Adams’s announcement “was widely expected.” But, “It will be incredibly difficult because he doesn’t have a major party behind him. But the one thing it does buy him is time to reframe the narrative and not have to deal with this crowded primary.”

There are at least 10 folks in the running in the Democratic Primary, including Adrienne Adams, Zohran Mamdani, Michael Blake, Andrew Cuomo, Jessica Ramos, Zellnor Myrie, Brad Lander, and Scott Stringer. None expressed surprise. The electorate, too, seemed relatively mute. Michael Blake told Our Time Press,“

New Yorkers deserve a mayor who fights for them, not just themselves.
“I’m running for mayor…because I still believe in public service rooted in people, not politics.”
“I’ve beaten Trump before as a DNC Vice Chair…. I’ve helped pass legislation in Albany, created jobs in the Obama White House, and fought to protect working families across NYC. I’m not running to make headlines—I’m running to make a difference.”

“There’s a heavy frustration with the Democratic Party,” Brooklyn activist Jemall Henderson told Our Time Press. “The common comment I am hearing is people saying that they are going to vote for Cuomo because he can take on Trump, and would.”
Meanwhile, a seemingly upbeat and revitalized Adams is doing the rounds with a campaign glad-handing spring in his step.

He has had a busy 7 days this past week, from his Clinton Hill birthday party, to his National Action Network appearance, to his endorsement meeting with Harlem electeds and community leaders and members at the Michelle Obama Democratic Club, to his Flatbush town hall meeting, the Inner Circle dinner, and press conferences and interviews.
Adams’s elevator pitch is something like, “Hey, you know me, I wore a bulletproof vest for the city, I was Brooklyn Borough President, State Senator, and I am the second Black mayor of the city, vote for me,”

A week ago, federal judge Dale Ho dismissed the five-count bribery and corruption indictment against Adams. It came in the wake of what was reported as an alleged quid pro quo arrangement with President Donald Trump to have the New York City mayor work in conjunction with his immigration deportation policy and his border czar Tom Holman, suspected to be in exchange for the DOJ dropping the charges last month. Adams denies it.
A week ago as the Democratic candidates turned in their signatures, Adams released a video announcing that he was now running for mayor as an Independent.

He was asked at the media availability at City Hall on Tuesday, “Since the charges have been dismissed, have you spoken to Tom Homan or any other high-ranking official over at ICE?”
“I haven’t spoken to anyone,” Adams replied. “I don’t even know the connection between the charges and ICE.”

The reporter continued, “Judge Ho felt differently. He said everything here smacks of a bargain in Immigration Enforcement Cooperation for dropping the charges.”
Adams said within a protracted response, “Eric is innocent until proven guilty and that is dismissed with prejudice. Lift that up.”

This, as it was just announced that he is allowing ICE agents to open an office on Rikers Island.
In the interim Adams said that his administration is fighting the Trump government to claw back $200 million in migrant-related funding, the mayor said, “We are going to fight and state that this $200 million belongs to us. But then let’s look at $7 //billion…we lost in the previous administration compar/ed to $200 million. We’re going to fight for every penny.”

Stating that Homeland Security and ICE have not vamped on community-heavy locations like schools or places of worship, Adams defended his relationship with Trump, asking the press gathered at City Hall, “If it’s all right for Governor Hochul to meet with the president, it’s not all right for me to meet with the president?… I’m the mayor of the largest city in America. Imagine me not having a relationship with the president of the most important country on the globe.”

He protested further, “Get over it. He’s the president now, he’s the president. Popular vote, electoral vote. We got to get over this. I got to deliver for our city.”
On a roll, he chided, “All those who are saying, ‘Oh, just fight and resist, resist, resist.’ I’m not part of resist movement. I’m part of the produce movement.”
Saying that he is still a Democrat–“I didn’t leave the Democratic Party–the Democratic Party left me,”– whilst currently running as an Independent, Adams determined, “I’m running for re-election – and I’m gonna win.”

Professor Smikle told Our Time Press, “Not sure how much money he will be able to raise running as an Independent, but it may be able to give him the opportunity to get a lot of support from moderate and conservative voters who see him more aligned to Trump somewhat. They may help him raise money.”

Smikle continued, “It would have been a very difficult primary. Cuomo has a lot of money. He has very high name recognition. He is doing very well in the polling. He seems to be peeling off some of his Black support, if not flat outright getting his Black support. While the mayor is running as a moderate, Cuomo is running with the same or similar ideological leaning, and it would be difficult for him–even as the sitting mayor, to pull away from him in terms of his messaging. So, choosing to run as an Independent gives him a longer runway or longer pathway to make a case to voters that he can occupy by himself until he meets the primary winner in June.”

While Cuomo is the “front runner,” according to the polls, Smikle said, “I don’t know that it is a one deal. It is still going to be a tough primary.”
As he door knocked in Brooklyn’s 41st District, as he runs for City Council, Jamell Henderson said, “It is like Cuomo has already been mayor during the Covid time. For 4 to 5 weeks, the media watched the then-governor go head-to-head with Mayor Bill de Blasio, holding dual press conference updates. The media turned on Trump because he was not paying attention to what was going on with the pandemic. But Cuomo was calm and confident; he gave assurances and made himself personable.

“The media turned to him for the daily reports, and the people treated him as if he were the mayor.”
Henderson determined that “People are focused on name recognition, but not what they do. They are afraid of voting for someone new to move forward in a new direction.”
Alternatively, Henderson considered, “I believe Speaker Adrienne Adams has the qualifications, but as the presidential election in 2024 showed nationally, is the city ready to elect a woman, especially a BLACK woman?”

“Adrienne is focused on restoring competence and integrity to City Hall without the drama, nonsense, or scandal,” said her spokesperson, Lupe Todd-Medina.