NYC Mayor Eric Adams to debate 2025 mayoral challengers for first time next week

Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News on Feb 20, 2025

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NEW YORK — Mayor Eric Adams, facing criticism over the terms under which Donald Trump’s DOJ is moving to dismiss his criminal indictment, will go face-to-face with his opponents in the 2025 mayoral primary for the first time at a candidate forum next week, the Daily News has learned.

The Feb. 26 showdown will be hosted by DC 37, the city’s largest municipal union, and focus on each candidate’s “agenda for the city and how they plan to tackle the issues impacting our members such as housing, healthcare, affordability, education, and workforce development,” said spokeswoman Thea Setterbo.

The forum will be open to reporters, but not the public, according to Setterbo. Only DC 37 members will be able to attend with more than 700 had already signed up as of Thursday morning.

In the 2021 mayoral election, DC 37, which has tens of thousands of members, endorsed Adams’ campaign, and was seen as a key force behind his election. Politico reported this week, however, that its leaders are urging Council Speaker Adrienne Adams to run against the mayor in June’s Democratic primary.

Vito Pitto, Adams’ campaign attorney, didn’t return a request for comment Thursday.

The other 2025 mayoral candidates signed up to participate in next week’s forum are Comptroller Brad Lander, former Comptroller Scott Stringer, Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, Brooklyn state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, Queens state Sen. Jessica Ramos and former Bronx Assemblyman Michael Blake.

The forum will be moderated by Henry Garrido, DC 37’s executive director.

Adams’ challengers in June’s primary have faced off in several forums already, but Adams has passed on participating so far. Even in his absence, the forums have focused heavily on Adams, as most of his challengers have for months called on him to resign or be removed from office over his federal corruption indictment.

Adams’ entry into the 2025 candidate forum spotlight comes as calls for his ouster have grown louder in the wake of a move by President Trump’s Justice Department to seek the dismissal of his indictment with the understanding it could be brought back as early as November.

In the interim, Trump’s DOJ says it expects the quashing of the indictment will enable Adams to play a larger role in helping the president target undocumented New Yorkers for deportations, an unusual caveat that both allies and critics of the mayor argue makes him beholden to Trump.

Adams, who has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, has said there was no quid pro quo with the Trump Administration and has said he ahs no plans to step down. He has frequently said he will, instead “step up.”

Gov. Hochul has considered using her power to remove the mayor from office over the situation, but said Thursday she’s holding off on doing so for now in favor of proposing legislative changes to place more guardrails on city government.