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By: Benyamin Davidsons
At the annual SOMOS conference in Puerto Rico, New York Democrats have been discussing the political party’s future for the next four years. Last week, Democrats suffered a brutal setback as Donald J. Trump was elected as the 47th President of the United States, and as Republican won control of both the House and the Senate in the Nov. 5th general election. At the tropical beachfront hotel on Friday, amid the pool parties, NY Democrats at the political conclave had grim conversations about how to best navigate the next four years. As reported by the NY Times, their main focus will be unseating New York Mayor Eric Adams next year, by defeating him in the June Democratic Primary. The Democrats agreed that Adams needs to be ousted, in favor of a more liberal candidate.
They also agreed that there should be no room for a comeback by former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. “One of the things that absolutely unites us is a clear opposition to disgraced New York executives, whether that is Adams or Cuomo,” said Zohran Mamdani, a state assemblyman from Queens, who is eyeing a bid for NYC mayor.
Per the Times, neither Mr. Adams or Mr. Cuomo attended SOMOS this year. Three years ago, Adam’s had been the star of the conclave. This year, he had planned to go but canceled last minute. The mayor, who was indicted on federal corruption charges in September, has denied wrongdoing. Still, Adam’s has seen his approval levels drop to record lows in polls. Polls have showed that Cuomo may be a top contender, despite being pushed to step down as governor in 2021, following sexual harassment allegations and the COVID-19 nursing home deaths scandal.
In a bid to squash Cuomo’s chances, Democrats have quickly rallied against him, with a group that opposes him releasing a digital ad about the sexual harassment allegations against him. Cuomo has denied wrongdoing. His spokesman, Rich Azzopardi, brushed off the recent ad, calling it pathetic. “New Yorkers see through the stunts pushed by these extremist fringe candidates and know that Gov. Cuomo is a fighter who spent over a decade delivering for them,” he said, noting how Mr. Cuomo had raised the minimum wage and cut taxes.
As of now, the main Democrats eyeing the NY mayoral seat include: state senator Jessica Ramos from Queens; city comptroller Brad Lander; state senator Zellnor Myrie from Brooklyn; and former city comptroller Scott Stringer; and Mr. Mamdani. More candidates may enter the race before the primaries. Per the Times, at SOMOS, the challengers were all smiles and refrained at taking public shots at one another. Instead, they took turns bashing Mayor Adams and his perceived ability to stand up to President-elect Trump.
“I’m not confident as a New Yorker that he’s going to stand up to the president when the time is needed,” Mr. Myrie said of Adams. “But even more important than that, before Trump’s election, he had been failing New Yorkers.” Similarly, Mr. Landers said,
“If Eric Adams wants New Yorkers to believe he is putting their interests ahead of his own, he should announce today that he will not seek or accept a pardon from Donald Trump.”
