Mayor Adams abruptly pulled out of a Wednesday night candidate forum where he was supposed to face off against his 2025 challengers in a debate setting for the first time this election cycle.
As of Tuesday night, Adams was still confirmed to attend the forum hosted by DC 37, the city’s largest municipal union that endorsed his 2021 run for mayor and played an integral role in his election that year. But on Wednesday afternoon, DC 37 spokeswoman Thea Setterbo said Adams had informed the union that he wouldn’t attend the event after all “at the advice of his legal counsel”
“We look forward to hearing from the other candidates as they make their case to our members on why they would make the best choice for New York City’s mayor,” Setterbo told the Daily News.
Later in the day, Adams told reporters his criminal defense attorney told him to skip the forum because of concerns that his federal corruption case could come up in debates at the event. President Trump’s Justice Department is seeking to drop the case, though a judge has declined to immediately do so in favor of appointing an independent attorney to argue against dismissal.
“My counsel stated, ‘Eric, there’s a decision coming down on the 14th, let’s allow the court to do its process, there’s time for debates, CFB debates, there’s a time for forums, and there’s a time to speak with the people,’” Adams said while walking into a town hall event in Brooklyn.
Adams — who’s facing calls to resign or be removed from office amid accusations that he has become a “hostage” to Trump’s agenda amid the unusual attempt to dismiss his corruption indictment — also took a thinly-veiled shot at ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who’s widely expected to join the already crowded mayoral race as early as this weekend after teasing a run for months.
“There are a lot of people who are in the race who are in the shadows,” Adams said. “Everyone should be questioning what they’re vision [is]. People should not be allowed to go from questioning and scrutiny, everyone should do that.”
Politico first reported his forum cancellation.
Adams faces an increasingly difficult path to reelection, as he reels from all-time low approval ratings and flagging political fundraising in the wake of the Trump DOJ’s bid to quash his legal troubles. Adams has denied any quid pr quo with the Trump administration.
The Tuesday night forum in Manhattan was supposed to be the first time Adams would go head-to-head with his declared challengers in June’s Democratic mayoral primary. Though he has said he is running for re-election, there have been few outward signs of a campaign.
Six of Adams’ declared challengers were still planning to slug it out at the DC 37 forum, including Brooklyn state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, who said the mayor’s 11th hour cancellation was offensive to the union’s tens of thousands of members.
“Eric Adams’ last minute decision to pull out of the mayoral forum is disrespectful to these hardworking public servants who show up every day — and deserve the mayor’s time and respect,” Myrie said. “But it’s been clear since long before he was indicted that Eric Adams cares more about himself than leading our city.”
With Josephine Stratman