Push for NYC Council Speaker Adrienne Adams to run for mayor underway in effort to block Andrew Cuomo, sources say

New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams is reportedly being nudged to run for mayor to blunt the possibility of an Andrew M. Cuomo mayoralty, two people close to Adams said Thursday.

The sources spoke to Newsday on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the subject.

Those trying to draft the council speaker — who is not related to New York City Mayor Eric Adams — consider the current candidate bench unlikely to defeat Cuomo, the former New York governor, in June's Democratic primary election.

Cuomo, who resigned in 2021 as governor following a sexual harassment scandal after decades in government, is reportedly eyeing a mayoral run, with an announcement imminent. Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi declined to comment Thursday.

The people attempting to recruit the council speaker to jump into the race include New York Attorney General Letitia James, former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-St. Albans) and the Rev. Al Sharpton, one of the sources said.

For his part, Mayor Adams, whose federal corruption case President Donald Trump's administration has ordered dismissed, said Wednesday night he expects to be reelected — something recent public polling suggests is unlikely.

The council speaker, a 64-year-old Black woman from southeast Queens, would be likely to draw outsize support from some of the same potential voters as Cuomo, who throughout his career has counted on Black voters for his success.

The push to get the speaker to run — which has been the subject of multiple news reports — has picked up steam in recent days, particularly during the New York State Association of Black and Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislators' conference last weekend in Albany, one of the sources said.

Several public polls show Cuomo beating everyone else in the current field, which includes state lawmakers and the current and former city comptroller.

But Cuomo also has some of the highest negative attributes of anyone, according to polling. He was criticized in government reports for COVID-19 deaths of elderly nursing home patients and misrepresenting related statistics.

Adrienne Adams and Eric Adams attended Bayside High School in Queens at the same time. Earlier this week, after half the mayor's deputies announced resignations, she called for him to resign.

Sharpton, de Blasio and James didn’t respond to messages seeking comment Thursday, nor did the offices of Meeks, Adrienne Adams and Eric Adams.