Low Adams Approval, and How ‘Defining a Villain’ Motivates Voters
Dear New Yorkers,
Yesterday, Mayor Eric Adams was a few hours into his testimony for a House oversight committee hearing on sanctuary cities in Washington, D.C. when he made history again. A new Quinnipiac Poll found he had a record-low approval of 20%, the lowest rating for a New York City mayor in the nearly 30-year history of the well-regarded ‘Q poll.’ On top of that, 56% of polled voters think he should resign and most said their pick for mayor is Andrew Cuomo.
Hours after the Washington hearing — which I attended, read our coverage of it here — another top contender, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, made her mayoral run official, too. And that was just one day in this election season.
While Adams remains unpopular with voters, the other mayoral candidates are targeting Cuomo big time. Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa told me he looked forward to debating him. Comptroller Brad Lander held three emergency press conferences in as many days this past weekend, pushing the message that Cuomo is bad for New York City. Today, former comptroller Scott Stringer — who like Cuomo has faced sexual harassment accusations — hosted a press conference focused on Cuomo’s "disdain and disinterest" for the city he wants to lead.
Some people say this is the right tactic — to hopefully weaken the candidate on top in early polls. There’s even a new labor-backed initiative urging people not to rank Cuomo or Adams, dubbed DREAM (“Don’t Rank Eric or Andrew for Mayor.” Get it?)
But I can’t help but wonder, what actually motivates people to go vote? Is it rooting for or against a candidate?
Laura Tamman, Ph.D, a political science professor at Pace University, said it’s not clear if a champion or "defining a villain" is the strongest driver to the ballot box.
"Ranked choice voting is pretty good at eliminating extreme candidates who a majority of the voters hate. Not just dislike, but hate," she said. "Do a majority of New Yorkers hate Andrew Cuomo? I think we are going to find out."
What We’re Reading
- We talked to the students at Bayside High School in Queens — where both Eric and Adrienne Adams attended in the 70s — about the notable alums. Local politics was far from their minds.
- For those who didn’t want to watch all 17 minutes of Cuomo’s candidate video, City & State blogged through it.
What’s Ahead…
Days until the June primary: 111
March 6: Mayoral forum on the environment, which is at capacity and now has a waitlist to attend. NYU Skirball at 566 LaGuardia Pl., Manhattan, at 6 p.m.
March 13: Yours truly will be moderating a free forum about the lessons learned from ranked choice voting in NYC so far, and what we can expect from it in 2025. Virtual, 10 to 11:30 a.m.
March 17: The next deadline for city campaign finance disclosures. We’ll be covering this to see who donated recently to candidates, and by how much.
March 25: Special election to replace Councilmember Kalman Yeger in City Council District 44. Are you in that Brooklyn district? Find out here.
Your Election Questions, Answered
Manjari M. asked: Can one campaign for a mayoral candidate if one is not a U.S. citizen?
Answer: In short, yes, you can campaign! According to election attorneys we spoke with, campaigning for someone is considered freedom of speech. However, if you’re not a citizen, you can’t donate money to a candidate per federal law and you can’t participate in petitioning — neither as a witness nor as a signatory. But you can host a candidate forum, knock on doors, or publicly share who you would vote for if you were eligible.
Conclusion
As the election season heats up, it’s clear that defining a villain is a key strategy for some candidates. But what will ultimately drive voters to the ballot box this June? Will it be a champion like Cuomo or a candidate who offers a fresh start? We’ll be following the campaign trail to find out.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can one campaign for a mayoral candidate if one is not a U.S. citizen?
- Answer: Yes, you can campaign, but there are limits on financial and petitioning activities.
We’re working on a guide to the rights of non-citizens in local elections — stay tuned for that. Have a question for our election team? Reply back to this email or send your questions to ask@thecity.nyc.
