Brooklyn Assembly Member Brian Cunningham is backing Adrienne Adams for mayor

Brooklyn Assembly Member Brian Cunningham is endorsing New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams in the mayoral race, joining nearly a dozen former and sitting elected officials who’ve said they are backing her since she kicked off her campaign late last week. 

Describing her as a “no nonsense, no drama,” “steady hand on the wheel leader,” Cunningham said Speaker Adams has been critical to the city’s success since she was elected speaker in 2022.

“To be City Council speaker, to be the speaker of any legislative body, you’re asking people who are already leaders in their own right to submit to someone else and understand their perspective,” Cunningham told City & State. “As mayor, she will masterfully do that again.” 

While proving she can rapidly net funds will be key to mounting a truly competitive challenge, Speaker Adams has pulled together a solid showing of early institutional support despite only having a narrow window between contemplating a run and kicking off her campaign. Cunningham, a well-connected and respected Black lawmaker, is a valuable supporter for the speaker to have. His central Brooklyn district is home to many Black middle-class voters and is known for having among the highest voter turnout in the borough. Performing well there, along with her own Southeast Queens – another predominately Black vote-rich section of the city – could be key to Speaker Adams emerging victorious on June 24 in the crowded field of candidates. 

“Adrienne is the right person to govern the city at this time,” Cunningham said.

Cunningham’s district also overlaps with that of City Council Member Darlene Mealy, who recently endorsed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The former governor’s sweeping name recognition and years of leadership experience has propelled him to the front of the polls, but his and Speaker Adams’ traditional base of support overlaps – as does New York City Mayor Eric Adams, although that support has waned significantly in recent months. Cuomo has been looking to solidify support in the Brooklyn Democratic Party at large, securing endorsements from several sitting lawmakers including City Council Member Farah Louis and Assembly Member Erik Dilan. Politico New York recently reported that Assembly Member Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, leader of the Brooklyn Democratic Party, is also considering backing Cuomo. Cunningham won a special election for his seat with support from Bichotte Hermelyn in 2022.

Over the next couple of weeks, Speaker Adams will likely be focused on bolstering her name recognition and closing the wide fundraising gap between herself and the Democratic candidates who’ve had far longer to amass their war chests. The latter is something Cunningham, a strong fundraiser, plans to help with as well as having conversations with other elected officials overlapping his district like Council Members Rita Joseph, Chi Ossé, and Crystal Hudson about potentially supporting her. As for other Brooklyn electeds – even those Cuomo has been hoping to secure – he said not to count the speaker out. 

“I think when we speak other people begin to pay attention,” Cunningham said of himself, Speaker Adams, and their hopes of amassing more institutional support in Brooklyn. “You may see some other chips begin to fall over the next couple of weeks in terms of tipping her way.” 

Speaker Adams has so far also been endorsed by state Sen. James Sanders and Assembly Member Andrew Hevesi of Queens, former Queens Council Member I. Daneek Miller, former Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields, and fellow City Council Members Yusef Salaam, Kevin Riley, Althea Stevens, Chris Banks, Sandy Nurse and Deputy Speaker Diana Ayala and Majority Leader Amanda Farías.