Adams Predicts Jewish Voters Will Be His ‘Secret Weapon’ in Mayoral Showdown

By: Mario Mancini

Mayor Eric Adams says the Jewish vote will be his “secret weapon” in November’s mayoral election — and blasted socialist frontrunner Zohran Mamdani for spreading what he called dangerous, antisemitic rhetoric, in an exclusive sit-down interview with the New York Post this week.

Speaking at Gracie Mansion, Adams dismissed a recent Marist University poll that showed him drawing just 17% support from Jewish voters. The mayor, trailing in most public surveys, said those numbers don’t tell the whole story.

“Polls normally go to ‘likely voters,’” Adams told the New York Post. “I think this is going to be the highest turnout in city history, maybe two million people. Many of them will be Jewish voters. I’ve been hearing directly from yeshivas where parents registering their children are also registering to vote. Those new voters aren’t being counted, and I believe I’ll get an overwhelming share.”

Adams, a retired NYPD captain and Brooklyn borough president before being elected mayor, insisted Jewish New Yorkers have long supported him. “They stood with me as senator, as borough president, and as mayor,” he said. “I don’t see that changing.”

The mayor stressed that his administration has worked to safeguard Jewish communities across the city. He pointed to his creation of the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism and the NYPD’s expanded hate crimes unit. “We’ve been very clear — we won’t tolerate hate,” Adams told the New York Post.

But Adams reserved his harshest words for Mamdani, the Astoria assemblyman who has emerged as the Democratic frontrunner. The mayor slammed Mamdani for saying he would direct police to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visited New York, despite diplomatic immunity.

“That’s not just legally impossible — it’s a dangerous symbol,” Adams warned in his New York Post interview. “You’re sending out a message of hate. He didn’t say that about leaders from Sudan or Yemen. He targeted one group. For Jewish residents, that has to be alarming.”

Adams also faulted Mamdani for refusing to condemn chants of “Globalize the Intifada” at pro-Palestinian rallies. “These aren’t coded messages anymore,” Adams said. “They’re clear. If you’re Jewish in New York City, you should be deeply concerned.”

The mayor accused Mamdani of opportunism, claiming the left-wing candidate has shifted his stances whenever convenient. “He’s mastered the art of saying anything to get elected,” Adams told the New York Post. “He knows he can’t deliver what he promises — free buses, massive rent cuts, releasing thousands from Rikers — but he says it anyway. That’s dishonest, and it hurts people who expect real solutions.”

Pressed on whether corruption scandals swirling around his administration could undermine his appeal, Adams acknowledged making mistakes but insisted they don’t outweigh his record. “I’ve lived 65 years — of course you make mistakes,” he said. “But I’ve never broken the law, never violated my oath of office. What matters is results: crime is down, housing production is up, we helped get New Yorkers through COVID, we supported low-income families. That’s what voters should judge me on.”

Still, Adams argued that Mamdani’s rise poses a unique danger to Jewish New Yorkers and to the city’s stability. “You can’t normalize this kind of rhetoric,” the mayor told the New York Post. “It divides communities and threatens our safety. My campaign is about keeping New York safe, affordable, and united. His is about slogans and scapegoats.”