Most Democrats stop short of calling on New York mayor to resign

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to say that John Avlon is challenging Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.), while former Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.) is challenging Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.).

New York Democrats for the most part on Thursday stopped short of calling for the resignation of New York City Mayor Eric Adams, characterizing his federal indictment on bribery charges as a “sober” and “solemn” episode but saying the legal process should run its course.

The indictment unsealed by federal prosecutors charges the mayor with five counts including wire fraud, bribery and accepting illegal campaign donations from abroad. It came following a years-long investigation into Adams, which stretched back to 2021 during his tenure as Brooklyn borough president.

“Like every other New Yorker and American, Eric Adams is entitled to the presumption of innocence. That principle is central to the administration of justice in the United States of America,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), a Brooklyn native who had defended Adams’s track record just a day earlier, said in a statement. “A jury of the Mayor’s peers will now evaluate the charges in the indictment and ultimately render a determination.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the highest-ranking New York Democrat in the country, sounded a similar note, writing in a statement that the legal process should proceed.

“No one is above the law, including the Mayor of New York City,” Schumer said. “The charges are serious, and the legal process should now play out speedily and fairly.”

“Any indictment is a matter to be taken seriously, and this is a solemn day for New York City,” Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.), who represents parts of Manhattan and the Bronx, said in a statement. “In our country, a person is innocent until proven otherwise, and we must allow due process and for the legal system to proceed and run its proper course without interference.”

The one exception — so far — has been Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who called for Adams’s resignation even before the indictment was announced. She said the various investigations into the mayor were, by themselves, enough to erode the public confidence needed to execute the duties of the office. 

“The flood of resignations and vacancies are threatening gov function,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote Wednesday on the social platform X. “Nonstop investigations will make it impossible to recruit and retain a qualified administration.”

Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.), meanwhile, did not explicitly call on Adams to resign, but strongly suggested he should. Asked by Spectrum 1 News if Adams should resign, the New York Democrat responded: “If I was in his shoes, I would have resigned today.”

“That is for him to answer,” she responded when pressed on the matter. “He can’t conduct the business of the people of New York. He knows that.”

The indictment landed just more than a month before Election Day in a state that is at the crossroads of the battle for the House majority.

While Adams is a relatively obscure figure outside of New York, he’s well known within the Empire State, and news of his legal problems will be on the airwaves in several contested races on Long Island and in the Hudson Valley, where a handful of first-term Republicans are fighting to keep their seats. 

Jeffries on Wednesday ticked off a number of states where Democrats are eyeing gains, but also noted the “heavy concentration of competitive contests in New York and California” that will be crucial to the Democrats’ chances of flipping the chamber.

Some Democrats noted that New York Republicans have had success in the past tying congressional Democrats to problems plaguing New York City, particularly on issues related to crime and migration. With that in mind, those voices warned, Adams’s legal troubles could play a factor in the race for House control.  

“They can use him as a wedge to thwart Democrats in tight House districts, particularly in Long Island where there’s been a history of using NYC issues to rally the Republican base, including crime and immigration,” said Democratic strategist Basil Smikle, who served as the executive director of the New York State Democratic Party.

Smikle emphasized that Adams is innocent until proven otherwise. Still, he said regardless of the eventual outcome of the case, “the longer he stays in office, the more Republicans can use him to go after the Governor [Kathy Hochul] and Vice President Harris suggesting a double standard that favors Democrats.”

Top Republicans are already embracing that strategy. Rep. Elise Stefanik (N.Y.), the chair of the House GOP conference, called on Adams to resign and said Democrats will feel the impact of his “corruption and incompetence” in the upcoming November elections.

“This is the culmination of the cult of corruption rampant in the New York Democrat Party,” Stefanik said in a statement, mentioning former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), who resigned from his post in 2021 after an investigation found that he harassed multiple women. “New York Democrats will pay the price for this corruption and incompetence in November and Republicans will sweep this November.”

Democrats challenging vulnerable House Republicans in the Empire State were taking steps to distance themselves from the embattled mayor. At least three Democratic candidates are explicitly calling on Adams to resign, a stance that contrasts with most New York Democrats on Capitol Hill.

The list includes Josh Riley, who is up against Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-N.Y.); John Avlon, who is challenging Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.); and former Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.), who is mounting a comeback bid against Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.). Molinaro, Lawler and LaLota all represent districts President Biden won in 2020, which are top targets for Democrats this cycle.

“It is a sad day for New Yorkers and the American people to see the Mayor of New York City indicted. Eric Adams should resign,” Jones wrote on X. “As he awaits his day in court, he is incapable of leading the city. Whether it is a sitting mayor or a criminally convicted former president, any public servant who abuses his or her power must be held accountable.”

One political observer in New York noted that there might be some indecision about Adams’s future in part because no one has confidence in the public advocate’s ability to manage the city. 

But Susan Del Percio, a prominent Republican strategist who is based in New York and closely follows politics in the Empire State, said Vice President Harris would likely say what Democrats had largely said during Hunter Biden’s case: “to let the judicial system carry this out.”

Del Percio, who does not support Trump, said while Gov. Kathy Hochul could receive some heat because of her longtime support of Adams, Democrats would remain mostly unscathed. Asked whether it would impact House races, she replied “not at all.” 

It was mostly a reflection on Adams, she said, “which is unfortunate because he had so much good will coming in. Everyone wanted him to do well.”

A number of Democrats on Capitol Hill were holding their fire Thursday.

“In time, Mayor Adams will confront a jury of his peers,” Rep. Yvette Clarke, another New York Democrat who represents parts of Brooklyn, said in a statement. 

“As we ready for their verdict, we must not fail to remember that every American, from working people to public officials, are entitled to the presumption of their innocence when accused of wrongdoing.” 

Adams, for his part, was defiant.

“Everyone who knows me knows that I follow the campaign rules and I follow the law,” Adams said Thursday during a drizzly press conference outside of Gracie Mansion, the official residence of Big Apple mayors. “I ask New Yorkers to wait to hear our defense before making any judgments.”