Speculation grows that race for New York City mayor could soon get more crowded
NEW YORK (WABC) -- As Mayor Eric Adams vows to stay in office and run for reelection, the field of candidates running against him could soon get a little more crowded.
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo is expected to announce if he will run for New York City mayor by the end of the month.
Supporters are already planning fundraisers and other events for early March, anticipating he will decide to primary a weakened Mayor Adams.
And city and state leaders are now encouraging another Adams - City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams - to enter the Democratic primary race.
She is viewed as the most credible challenger to Cuomo and Adams, whose Democratic party support is eroding. She has also not made a decision on whether to run.
And while it was well within the legal authority of Gov. Kathy Hochul to remove Adams from office, her decision announced Thursday not to, some say, is political.
"If the governor removes the mayor, guaranteed, she will lose next year's election because there are people who will just see it for what it is, a pure political play that's completely unfair," said political consultant Hank Sheinkopf.
Hochul has been under a pressure cooker all week to remove after the resignations of four deputy mayors in one day and Adams was summoned to federal court on Wednesday -- where he swore under oath there was no quid pro quo with the Trump administration to dismiss his corruption case.
"The petition that's nominating petitions for the Democratic primary in June are being circulated now, Brad Lander, the comptroller, is out there with a serious candidate. Scott Stringer, the former comptroller, is a serious candidate for mayor. Zellnor Myrie serious candidate, everybody is serious," Sheinkopf said. "But the one to watch right now is Andrew Cuomo, the former governor."
Although Cuomo isn't yet officially in the race, Sheinkopf thinks a Mayor Cuomo is not something Hochul or Attorney General Letitia James would want.
"Why? Because they had their moments with him," he said. "Significant was Letitia James helping to remove him from office and Kathy Hochul not loving to be his lieutenant governor."
And now that Hohcul has decided not to remove the mayor, Lander suggested this week his office could convene a mayoral panel of instability under the city's charter.
"I don't think there's a chance in the world that the mayoral inability committee is going to remove Mayor Adams," said James Sample, Hofstra University constitutional law professor. "In order to proceed in that scenario, you need four out of five members of this committee, and the five members of the committee include mayoral appointees."
Adams, who is unlikely to be removed and definitely not resigning, is running for reelection.
"New Yorkers have this crazy idea that when they wake up in the morning, the mayor is supposed to turn on the lights and when they go to sleep, he's supposed to turn off the lights," Sheinkopf said. "That's not the feeling that you get. If Adams can restore that kind of sense of confidence, he'll be reelected."
In fact, Mayor Adams will be participating in his first candidates forum next week.
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