Though Mayor Eric Adams might soon be clear of his pending legal case, his bid for reelection is still likely to face some challenges.
A Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday found that only 20 percent of New York City voters approve of Adams’s handling of his job, with 67 percent saying they disapprove. According to Quinnipiac, this is the lowest mayoral approval rating since the university began polling city voters close to 30 years ago. The poll surveyed 1,260 New York City self-identified registered voters from February 27 to March 3.
It didn’t end there. On the subject of Adams’s corruption case, 40 percent of voters said they believed the mayor did something illegal, while 31 percent said they thought Adams did something unethical but not illegal. Only 13 percent of voters said they think the mayor did nothing wrong. And 56 percent of respondents said they believed Adams should resign from office entirely, while only 35 percent said that he shouldn’t. When it came to whether Adams’s case should be dismissed as the Justice Department has argued, 63 percent of respondents said the charges shouldn’t be dropped, while 25 percent disagreed.
The new polling comes as another prominent politician has decided to toss her hat into the ring. Politico reports that City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams is joining the mayoral race with plans to officially debut her campaign at a rally in Queens, her home district. “I never planned to run for mayor, but I’m not giving up on New York City,” she said in a statement to the outlet. “Our city deserves a leader that serves its people first and always, not someone focused on themselves and their own political interests.”
The Speaker and the mayor, who aren’t related, both entered their positions of leadership together in 2022, highlighting a long-standing relationship that goes back to their high-school days. But that dynamic has strained in recent years as the two Adamses have clashed as City Hall and the City Council have found themselves increasingly at odds.
The Quinnipiac University poll shows neither Adams at the head of the crowded field at this juncture. When asked who they would support if the Democratic primary was held today, 31 percent of voters said they would back former governor Andrew Cuomo, followed by Mayor Adams with 11 percent, Queens assemblymember Zohran Mamdani with 8 percent, former comptroller Scott Stringer with 6 percent, and current comptroller Brad Lander with 5 percent.
Queens state senator Jessica Ramos and Speaker Adams both received 4 percent, while Brooklyn state senator Zellnor Myrie, former hedge-fund manager Whitney Tilson, and former Bronx assemblymember Michael Black were tied with one percent. The survey also included public advocate Jumaane Williams, who is not currently running but would succeed Mayor Adams in the event of a resignation, and he received 7 percent.
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