NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – More than two-thirds of New York City residents want embattled Mayor Eric Adams to resign, according to a new poll that also surveyed a potential run by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
The Marist Poll was conducted between Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, after the mayor was indicted in a federal corruption case on Sept. 26.
The survey found 69% of NYC residents believe Adams should resign as mayor, with 30% of respondents saying he should finish his term, which would end in January 2026 if he’s not reelected next year.
The poll painted an even worse picture for Adams among his own party members: 71% of his fellow Democrats surveyed said he should resign.
If Adams doesn’t resign, 63% of respondents said Gov. Kathy Hochul should begin the process of removing him, while 36% think she shouldn’t.
Adams said he has no plans to step down, and he pleaded not guilty last week to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, bribery and receiving campaign contributions from a foreign national.
While Hochul has the power to remove Adams from office, she has so far not called for his resignation. This week she said she’d spoken with him privately, and in a statement last week she said it’s now up to him to “show the City that he is able to lead.”
The Marist poll found 65% of residents in the five boroughs believe Adams did something illegal, with 68% of Democrats believing he did so. An additional 24% think he did something unethical but not illegal, while just 8% think he did nothing wrong.
Perhaps the survey’s most dire finding for the mayor was about whether he should seek reelection in 2025: 81% of New Yorkers said he shouldn’t run again, including 80% of Democrats, while 18% think he should.
The poll also dove into speculation that Cuomo may run for mayor after he resigned from office in 2021.
According to the survey, 55% of respondents don’t want Cuomo to run, while 44% think he should make a bid for the office. Democrats are divided on the issue: 52% think he shouldn’t run, while 48% think he should, the poll found.
If Cuomo did run, he'd join a Democratic primary field that so far includes City Comptroller Brad Lander and state Sen. Jessica Ramos. Former City Comptroller Scott Stringer and state Sen. Zellnor Myrie have also formed exploratory committees. There's also speculation that city Public Advocate Jumaane Williams would run if Adams resigns; either way, he'd be Adams' interim replacement before a special election.
The poll surveyed 1,073 adults, 18 years or older, living in New York City between Sept. 30 and Oct. 1. The margin of error is ±3.6 percentage points for all adults and ±3.8 percentage points for registered voters.