NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – Mayor Eric Adams responded Monday to a new survey that found former Gov. Andrew Cuomo would crush other New York City mayoral candidates even though he hasn’t entered the race.
The survey, commissioned by Progressives for Democracy in America and obtained by Politico on Monday, found Cuomo led the other primary candidates, with 32% of likely Democratic voters naming him as their top choice in the ranked-choice election. Second up was former Comptroller Scott Stringer at 10%, followed by current Comptroller Brad Lander at 8%. Adams had 6% support. Ultimately, the survey found Cuomo would pass the 50% threshold to win by the fifth round of voting.
When a reporter asked about the survey Monday at City Hall, Adams compared the former governor to Andrew Yang, who launched an unsuccessful bid for mayor in 2021. Early polling showed Yang as the frontrunner but Adams ultimately won the primary and the election.
“Another Andrew,” Adams responded. “Andrew Yang opens up huge lead in race to be next New York City mayor. This was in February. We're in January. So in February, Andrew was kicking my rear. And you know what? We don't say Mayor Yang. We say Mayor Adams. So polls don't make mayors. People do.”
“I'm going to connect with people the way I do,” Adams went on to say. “No one is going to outwork me. I am so committed authentically to New Yorkers. They connect with me. I went through some difficult hurdles. It's amazing. I'm still in it with the number of things I had to go through, but I'm still here, and I'm going to do what New Yorkers do.”
Asked later if he was "nervous" about the findings of the survey, Adams said, “Nope. I've been here before. This is déjà vu.”
The mayor again discounted the polls and pointed to Yang’s “double-digit lead on me” in February 2021. He said he’s in campaign season now, “where the rubber meets the road,” and that he plans on “being out among New Yorkers, talking with them, speaking with them, interacting with them.”
“I can't sit back and worry about what the pollsters say. I got to focus on what the people say,” he said.
Buzz around a potential Cuomo run has been swirling for months, with a Politico report last week saying he plans to launch his campaign in February and hire consultant Charlie King to help shape his campaign. Cuomo resigned as governor in 2021 amid sexual harassment allegations that he has denied.
The speculation of a Cuomo run has become all the more intense as Adams struggles in the polls and faces an April trial on federal corruption charges.
Asked about reports of a potential run, Cuomo’s longtime spokesman Rich Azzopardi told 1010 WINS last week that the reports are “premature” but also pointed to Cuomo’s accomplishments during his decade as governor.
“This all remains premature, but Andrew Cuomo will always be a Queens boy who loves New York, is deeply concerned about its direction, and will always help any way he can,” Azzopardi said in part.