Adams scandal a riddle for Democrats

Anniversary Point

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Daily Point

Many angles to ponder on Adams’ woes

As of now, the smart money says, Gov. Kathy Hochul is not about to use the extraordinary power of her office to remove indicted Democratic incumbent Eric Adams from the New York City mayoralty. And, as of now, Adams is doing all he can to dispel any belief that he will quit the job while fighting the federal bribery and fraud charges against him.

"Removing anyone who’s been duly elected to office is a very big deal," one Albany insider told The Point of Hochul’s choice. "Putting aside the politics, it’s not to be done lightly."

Democrats who in November are trying to recoup suburban House seats they lost to Republicans in the midterm elections two years ago have been privately discussing whether the Adams scandal could hurt those chances. But it was not immediately clear how that threat would play out outside the five boroughs.

Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi’s Republican challenger, Mike LiPetri, posted on an Instagram account a photo of Suozzi from what appears to be 2021, shaking hands with Adams. The congressman is quoted as saying: "I believe that Eric Adams is the right person to build back better in New York City."

But LiPetri’s message to voters in the 3rd Congressional District could be diluted by another photo he posted — of himself side-by-side with GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump. Both men are in a grinning thumbs-up pose. Trump, of course, is a convicted New York State felon who remains indicted in other, more serious, federal cases and still denies all charges.

In the 4th Congressional District race, a rematch between Democrat Laura Gillen and Republican Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, where turnout in Black communities could be the deciding factor, Gillen has called on Adams to resign while D’Esposito’s spokesperson denounced New York City Democrats but not Adams explicitly.

If Adams does choose to step aside, rival Jumaane Williams, the city’s public advocate, who unsuccessfully challenged Hochul from her left in the 2022 Democratic primary, would become acting mayor under the city’s charter. (In 2018, he also ran against Hochul for lieutenant governor). Could Williams’ positions as a self-declared democratic socialist be cited in ads this fall to frighten mainstream voters away from Democrats in House races outside the city?

That’s highly speculative and part of what Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic leader from Brooklyn, is expected to think about as he tries to see enough seats turned over to give his side a congressional majority.

The timing of Adams’ departure from office, if it occurs during this term, could affect who succeeds him in the subsequent election. Say Adams leaves City Hall in January. Within three days, Williams would be required to set a date for a special mayoral election. It would be held on the first Tuesday that comes when Adams is at least 80 days out of office.

The election would use New York's ranked-choice system, where voters can rank up to five candidates in order of their preference. More significantly, there would be no party primary or party affiliations on the ballot. The nonpartisan scenario could suit former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who’s reportedly been following developments involving Adams for a possible way into a political comeback. Cuomo resigned after a decade as governor in 2021 under pressure from other Democratic elected officials.

In crisis there is opportunity — often for someone other than the person in crisis.

— Dan Janison dan.janison@newsday.com

Pencil Point

Fall rage

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Quick Points

Putting it another way

• As Long Island high school football teams consider using an extra padded shell on helmets to better protect players from concussions, some coaches are saying they’re not sure the padding will help. Perhaps they should acknowledge something else: The padding surely can’t hurt.
• You have to hand it to New York City Mayor Eric Adams: For a politician whose mantra is "no distractions," he certainly has a knack for creating distractions.
• After Israel killed Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, Vice President Kamala Harris said, "Diplomacy remains the best path forward." It doesn’t seem like the combatants agree.
• South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, talking about recent strikes by Israel on Hezbollah and the prospects for all-out war, said, "I promise you, if Trump does win, we’re going to fix this pretty quick." The last 75 years or so apparently notwithstanding.
• After federal and state officers stopped NYC Mayor Eric Adams’ top adviser, Ingrid Lewis-Martin, at Kennedy Airport on her return from vacation and confiscated her phone, she said on her attorney’s radio show, "We have not done anything illegal to the magnitude that requires the federal government and the DA’s office to investigate us." Just how much illegality would it take to trigger the right magnitude?

— Michael Dobie michael.dobie@newsday.com

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