NEW YORK (PIX11) — After trouble in Mayor Eric Adams’ administration surfaced nearly a year ago, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo was already a popular choice to replace the embattled mayor.
If Cuomo runs for office, New Yorkers will get the chance to decide after Adams became the first sitting mayor to be indicted on federal charges Wednesday night, according to sources.
A Cuomo spokesperson told AM New York the former governor has "no plans to make plans." Insiders believe Cuomo would run if Adams resigns, according to the article.
Adams was charged with accepting bribes and illegal campaign contributions from foreign sources, stemming from his 2021 mayoral campaign.
Prosecutors accuse the mayor of accepting illegal campaign donations as early as his time as Brooklyn borough president. Adams allegedly sought and knowingly accepted money from foreign donors, including Turkish government officials, prosecutors contend.
Speaking in front of Gracie Mansion on Thursday, Adams urged New Yorkers to wait for his defense before making judgments.
"From here, my attorneys will take care of the case so I can take care of the city,” Adams said. “My day-to-day will not change. I will continue to do the job for 8.3 million New Yorkers that I was elected to do."
In the December 2023 poll, 24% of voters preferred Cuomo and 14% favored NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. More than half of New Yorkers believed Adams should resign if he were indicted by federal prosecutors, compared to 38% who thought he should remain in office, according to the poll.
Williams, who would take over Adams’ position if he stepped down, responded to the indictment saying, “The news of this indictment is itself incredibly serious. the focus should be on New Yorkers regaining trust in city government.”
Cuomo comes with scandals, too. He resigned from office in August 2021 amid sexual harassment allegations, which he denies.
Recently, the politician was under fire for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic at a time when the virus was spreading through nursing homes during often combative congressional subcommittee testimony.
Republican lawmakers who questioned the Democrat zeroed in on a controversial directive his administration issued in March of 2020 that initially barred nursing homes from refusing to accept patients just because they’d had COVID-19.
U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York called the directive “deadly.” In over two hours of testimony, Cuomo defended his actions and blamed former President Donald Trump's administration for failing to provide enough testing and personal protective equipment in the early days of the pandemic.
“These are all diversions to blame New York and other states for the culpability of the federal response, which was malpractice,” Cuomo said.
If Cuomo decides to run, he will face other Democratic contenders, including former New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, current Comptroller Brad Lander, and State Senators Jessica Ramos and Zellnor Myrie.
Mira Wassef is a digital reporter who has covered news and sports in the NYC area for more than a decade. She joined PIX11 News in 2022. See more of her work here.
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