Eric Adams, mayor of New York, center right, and his lawyer Alex Spiro, center left, outside Gracie Mansion in New York on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024.
Photo: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Last week, federal prosecutors indicted Mayor Eric Adams on five counts, alleging a decade-long scheme to receive luxury international-travel perks and illegal foreign donations in exchange for political favors for Turkish officials. Adams has maintained his innocence, vowing to stay in office and fight the allegations against him.
Though Adams is projecting confidence, his political future remains unclear. If the mayor remains in office, as he claims he will, he faces a difficult road to reelection next year. Adams has already drawn several multiple primary challengers including comptroller Brad Lander, State Senator Zellnor Myrie, former comptroller Scott Stringer, and State Senator Jessica Ramos.
But if the mayor were to step down, or if he were forced out by never-before-utilized measures in the city charter, a nonpartisan special election would take place — and it could be a political free-for-all that may attract some big names. Even with a special election, the 2025 mayoral primary and general elections will go on as scheduled, meaning that some of the mayor’s current party challengers could continue their bids against him next year in addition to jumping into the special election. The winner in a special election would have the advantage of incumbency, taking power immediately and holding the office until the 2025 election is settled. Here are some of the heavy hitters currently being discussed as possible special-election candidates.
In the case of a future Adams resignation or ouster, public advocate Jumaane Williams will arguably play the most important role in the days to follow: As designated by the city charter, he is next in the line of succession and would becoming the acting mayor. Williams would then be required to schedule the special election to follow and would hold the seat until a successor is elected.
But Williams’s name has also been floated as a potential candidate in that special election. City & State reports that the public advocate is likely to run in the special election to replace Adams, citing a source familiar with his thinking. Williams is a progressive who has often clashed with Adams over policy but stopped short of challenging him for his seat in 2025. After news of the mayor’s indictment broke, Williams held back on calling for his resignation and, in subsequent interviews, wouldn’t say if he was considering a special-election campaign. “There’s so many things that have to happen before we even get to that question. It’s really far ahead,” he said in an interview with NY1.
Another name in the mix is attorney general Letitia James. The New York Post reports that top Democratic Party leaders are pushing for James to run to succeed Adams if he were to leave office. And New York’s Errol Louis recently reported that labor leaders have reached out to James, pledging support for her if she were to jump into the race.
James would likely be a formidable opponent if she were to launch a bid for mayor, having notched several high-profile wins including a successful civil fraud suit against Donald Trump and the Trump Organization. She has experience in city politics, previously serving on the City Council and as public advocate. James briefly mounted a gubernatorial bid in 2022 but later dropped out of the race to pursue reelection as attorney general.
An Adams special election could potentially serve as a comeback attempt for for the former New York governor. Since news of a federal investigation into Adams and foreign influence was first revealed last November, Cuomo has been said to be mulling a possible run for mayor. A Cuomo bid seems likely only in a special election; the former governor reportedly isn’t open to challenging Adams in a primary were it to come to that. But the Post reports that Cuomo has reached out to supporters in the real-estate community and other political heavyweights to say that he intends to run if a special election is called.
In a special election, Cuomo would come armed with big advantages. He has strong name recognition as well as a significant war chest left over from past campaigns. Cuomo left office in 2021 with $18 million in campaign funds, but that sum has shrunk to approximately $8 million due to outstanding legal expenses, per City & State. However, Cuomo will likely be followed by the events that caused his exit from politics: countless accusations of sexual harassment, including a bombshell report from attorney general James’s office.
A Republican city leader is also reportedly considering a special-election bid. Joe Borelli, the minority leader of the City Council, has told people close to him that he’s thinking about running for mayor if Adams steps down, per the Post. Borelli has represented Staten Island’s South Shore in the City Council since 2015. Prior to that, he served in the State Assembly in Albany. The city councilman might not be as well known as some of the other names currently floating around, but he could provide a conservative option for city voters in a race where multiple Democratic candidates could potentially split the vote.
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