On Day One of Brad Lander's campaign, Eric Adams hits him on race

New York City Mayor Eric Adams thinks Comptroller Brad Lander should be focused on helping Vice President Kamala Harris win the presidency – not trying to oust the city’s second Black mayor. 

“I thought his announcement was to go assist the first Black woman of color to be the president of the United States, not take the second man of color from being the mayor of the City of New York,” Adams said of Lander’s Tuesday morning declaration that he would challenge him in the 2025 Democratic primary.

A frequent critic of Adams, Lander is in many ways a foil to the mayor. He’s a white progressive from the wealthy Park Slope whose position as New York City comptroller has given him a platform to challenge Adams for perceived operational deficiencies like management of the migrant influx and budget cuts. While Lander will no doubt mount a serious challenge, his background may hinder him. To potentially win, he’d need to secure some support in outer borough communities of color – many of whom tend to be more moderate and are a key part of Adams’ base. The fact that Lander is white and from a wealthy part of Brooklyn also gives Adams and his supporters the opportunity to accuse him of trying to undermine the city’s second Black mayor. 

Political strategist Lupe Todd-Medina said that the city’s first Black mayor David Dinkins only served a single term – a fact that still hangs heavy with some voters.  

“I think you are going to find as disheartened though they may be with Mayor Adams, you are going to find particularly with older voters and older New Yorkers who remember when Mayor Dinkins ascended to the mayoral seat, they don’t want to see the second Black mayor not able to see a second term,” Todd-Medina said. “I just don’t think it’s going to be as widespread as it would have been if this was even 15 years ago.”

In response to inquiries about Lander’s campaign announcement, Adams’ campaign pointed to statements from two of the city’s Black political titans.

“The mayor’s record is excellent: lower crime, more jobs, historic investments in housing and child care. We should all be focused on electing the first Black woman president, not attacking the second Black mayor,” Hazel Dukes, president of the state NAACP, said in a statement.

“I don’t know why we’re talking about an election against the mayor at all – never mind while we’re trying to win one against Donald Trump,” Rep. Gregory Meeks, head of the Queens Democratic Party, also said in a statement.

Rep. Adriano Espaillat, a northern Manhattan and Bronx powerbroker and the first Dominican in Congress, tweeted his support for the mayor along similar lines: “With Mayor Adams our city is stronger: lower crime, more jobs and employment opportunities, and historic investments in housing and child care. Our fight should not be against each other. It should be against one of the biggest threats against our democracy, and that is Trump,” he wrote. 

Asked how he feels about Adams attributing much of the criticism he’s faced as mayor to his race, Lander told City & State that New Yorkers are concerned about quality of life issues like not being able to afford rent, needing better tenant protections and concerns about public safety.

“It's New Yorkers who are criticizing City Hall for not delivering on safety, on affordability, on quality of life. It's not my critique of Eric Adams – it's New Yorkers' critique of Eric Adams,” Lander said.

His campaign also noted that Lander endorsed Harris before Adams did.

Annie McDonough contributed reporting.