Can Eric Adams Save New York City?

It has come to this: “Help me, Eric Adams. You’re my only hope!”

Backers of Andrew Cuomo for the Democratic Party nomination, who collectively spent about $35 million in a vain attempt to ace out Zohran Mamdani from getting the nomination for Mayor of New York City, are turning to semi- kinda- disgraced Mayor Eric Adams as their potential savior in the general election. 

Adams, you see, is still running for mayor as an Independent candidate after he alienated his Democratic base by finally saying “Enough!” to the influx of illegal aliens who are bankrupting the city. 

It’s the business and finance bros who are so worried, obviously. Or at least they are the ones who are both worried and have the resources to do something about it. 

Eric Adams suddenly finds ‘overwhelming support’ from NYC’s desperate business elites https://t.co/bVEWsO6ADm

— Sissy Willis (@SissyWillis) June 26, 2025

Help me Eric Adams, you’re my only hope!

New York City’s business community — stunned by the apparent primary victory of socialist Zohran Mamdani and fearing a leftward shift in America’s biggest city — appears to be abandoning its grudging support for former Governor Andrew Cuomo and organizing more desperately around Mayor Eric Adams in a last ditch effort to block Mamdani in November’s general election.

Some of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s biggest backers hinted in fluid, panicked conversations Wednesday that they’ll put their money behind Adams, who was elected in 2021 as a tough-but-fair ex-cop, and now, after a federal corruption indictment and the removal of his inner circle, is running on his policy successes and frankly fun personality.

Adams’ popularity stood at an all-time low of 20% in a poll last month. The business community was largely neutral on Adams, who they saw as a welcome if occasionally tiring return to moderation after the left-leaning, rich-baiting de Blasio era; they remain nostalgic for Mike Bloomberg’s three terms.

“There is going to be overwhelming support in the business community to rally around Adams,” said Richard Farley, a partner at Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP who said he’s organizing a fundraiser for the mayor and has been speaking with some of Cuomo’s biggest donors. “This will be a street fight all the way to November.”

It’s an appealing option, on the very surface at least. Adams is a proven vote getter! After all, he is mayor already. He isn’t insane, as (former) Democrats go, and Curtis Sliwa, the Republican, has about as much chance of winning the race as I do. So Eric Adams it must be, right?

Well, probably not, although there is a chance. 

Adams, you see, is a wounded candidate already. 

According to Quinnipiac–not a great pollster, admittedly–Adams has only a 20% approval rating and a majority of New Yorkers want him to resign already. He has been accused of corruption–which I thought was a good thing for Democrats, but not in this case–and he has alienated his base without picking up support from others. 

Still, there’s a chance, right?

Well…then there is the new ranked-choice voting system, and that makes things at the very least less predictable. Mamdani will certainly get a plurality of the vote no matter what, and all the Independents and Sliwa will split the rest of the votes. Chances are better that Mamdani will accumulate votes in second and third round counts than any one of the others. But who knows?

Then there is the fact that all the billionaires and bigwigs rallying around a mistrusted candidate will not likely redound to his benefit. After all, Cuomo and his allies spent three times as much as Mamdani, and how did that work out? Being the Establishment’s choice turns out not to be a big winner. 

At Polymarket, the consensus seems to be that Mamdani has it in the bag, mostly. 

Zohran Mamdani is the firm favorite to win the 2025 New York mayoral race after he declared victory over Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary on Tuesday, according to the betting website Polymarket.

As of 6 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Mamdani had a 73.6 percent chance of winning the election in November. He was followed by incumbent Mayor Eric Adams on 19.4 percent, and Cuomo on 4.9 percent.

Adams? He has a 20% probability of winning as things stand now, according to the smart money. 

That means there’s a chance, right?

As we often say, a week is a long time in politics, and months can be an eternity. There is a long time between now and November 4th, so anything can happen. An asteroid can strike. That Sweet Meteor of Death can alleviate the worries of the big money folks, right?

There’s a chance, right? There is always a chance. But I wouldn’t bet on it.