A good sign from Philadelphia, and a positive poll for Eric Adams

New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ favorability rating with city voters is now +14, according to a Siena College poll released Tuesday. Some 49% have a favorable opinion of him, 35% unfavorable and 16% didn’t know. 

That’s a heck of a lot better than the negative 6-point approval rating that Quinnipiac University found in January. The questions were worded differently, favorability polling is normally higher than job approval for executives, and the Siena poll was statewide, so the New York City resident subcategory can be expected to have a higher margin of error. But none of those caveats stopped Adams political adviser Evan Thies from putting out a rare press release touting the good numbers – highlighting that more Black, Latino and lower-income voters statewide feel favorably about the mayor.

Statewide, he’s 5 points underwater, sure, but he’s not running for governor – yet – and this looked good for Team Adams after a somewhat embarrassing “let’s see other people” from Team Biden and a nearly $20,000 fine for Adams’ messy transition committee. Another bright spot for Adams’ politics? The Black establishment favorite who also refers to herself in the third person, Cherelle Parker, won the Democratic mayoral primary in Philadelphia on Tuesday, ending a big city progressive miniwave that Adams swore meant nothing to him. Adams’ 2025 reelection is two years away, and leftists are already talking about who will run.

Parker’s win? “Another example of working people uniting behind a candidate who values the practical over the political,” Thies said in a text message to City & State. “Including a focus on the issues working people care about: public safety, the economy and housing.”