Once a major rising star in the Democratic Party, including being considered for a possible run for the White House, New York Mayor Eric Adams has fallen from grace, having been plagued by several scandals.
Over the past years or so, Adams, a former NYC Top Cop, has been gripped by a slew of scandals, including a sexual assault allegation and claims of corruption — threatening to derail his ambitions and open the door to challengers. The city’s second Black Mayor is now fighting for his political life.
In one incident, FBI and local prosecutors are investigating whether a New York construction firm, alleged to have ties to the Turkish government, used fronts to donate money to Adams’s mayoral election campaign that saw him take office in 2022.
Even before all of the scandals, Adams’s political future was headed for the dumpster. The Mayor’s standing in the polls has plummeted as he has sought budget cuts, including closing libraries on Sundays, which he blames on the influx of migrants to the city.
New York is also facing a cost-of-living crisis, with prices for food, entertainment, and accommodation in the city that never sleeps soaring to unprecedented levels.
Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, no stranger to scandals himself, has suggested that he could run for Mayor if Adams is overwhelmed by scandal. But what constitutes “overwhelmed by scandal” in the disgraced Democratic Governor’s mind is hard to assess since Cuomo himself has sexually harassed 13 current and former state staffers, according to a Department of Justice settlement document.
On top of the alleged scandals, the influx of migrants into NYC is at the heart of Adams’ dropping popularity. Local resources have been stretched to the breaking point despite a handful of measures intended to stem the migrant flow.
At the same time, a policy to evict migrants with children from city shelters after 60 days sparked outrage from campaigners.
Columbia University politics professor Robert Shapiro said that “while it may be an opportunity for Adams to show his mettle in standing up to the Texas governor and others, without state and federal financial and other support, this issue may take a big toll on Adams politically.”
“This issue and corruption on the campaign funding front may do him in,” he told the AP.