(The Center Square) — A majority of New Yorkers want indicted Mayor Eric Adams to step down, and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Attorney General Leticia James are among the top picks to fill the city’s top elected office if he resigns, according to a new poll.
The Siena College survey, released Saturday, found that 53% of registered voters would like to see Adams resign, while a similar percentage believe that the Democrat did something illegal when asked about his indictment of federal bribery and fraud charges. Just over a quarter of those who responded — or 26% — approve of the job he has done as mayor, according to the poll.
Adams was indicted last month on five counts of federal bribery, fraud and campaign finance violations that could land the former NYPD police captain in jail for decades if he is convicted.
Federal prosecutors accuse Adams of seeking and accepting more than $100,000 in illegal gifts, like travel and campaign contributions from the Turkish government, in exchange for pressuring city officials to approve the construction of a new consulate in the city despite safety concerns about the building. He’s also accused of accepting more than $10 million in illegal ‘straw’ donations traced to Turkey.
Adams, who has pleaded not guilty to the charges, has vowed to fight the indictment, which has made him the first sitting New York City mayor to be charged with crimes. He has refused to step down.
“I’ve lived my life as a member of the law enforcement community, and I’ve always held myself to a high standard,” Adams said during an interview last week. “And there’s going to be an opportunity for me to answer the inquiries that I’m faced with, and I’m looking forward to doing that.”
Cuomo, who is seeking a political comeback, leads the pack of potential challengers for the mayor’s post, with 22% support compared to James’ 19% in a poll with a 3.9% margin of error, according to the Siena poll. Neither has jumped into the race. The declared candidates in the race, including city comptroller Brad Lander, received single-digit support in the poll.
If Adams does resign, Public Advocate Jumaane William would take over the post as interim mayor until a special election is held.
The Siena poll is the latest to show the once popular Democrat’s plummeting support among NYC voters. A Marist College poll released earlier this month found that at least 69% of New York City residents, including 71% of Democrats, think that Adams should resign.
Adams got some support over the weekend from former President Donald Trump, who praised the embattled mayor during a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden, where more than 20,000 supporters packed into the sports arena to hear the Republican candidate’s closing arguments.
“I have to tell you he’s been really great and [Adams] said they shouldn’t be calling Trump a dictator because it’s not true,” Trump said in remarks. “That’s nice … very nice.”
Trump poked fun at the indictments against Adams during his broad-ranging speech. He suggested that fellow Democrats were targeting Adams over his criticism of the Biden administration’s immigration policies amid a surge of asylum seekers to New York City over the past two years.
A growing chorus of Democrats have called on Adams to step down over concerns that his legal troubles could impact their chances of taking control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the November election.
Republicans have an eight-seat majority in the House, with three vacancies in Democratic districts. Several New York congressional districts held by Republicans are in play in the upcoming election.
