On September 26, 2024, New York City’s Democratic Mayor Eric Adams was indicted by the federal government on charges of conspiracy to receive illegal foreign campaign contributions, wire fraud, and bribery. He is scheduled to stand trial in April. The investigation, which began in the spring of 2023, traces back to Adams’ tenure as Brooklyn Borough President and has led to federal raids and subpoenas targeting members of his inner circle.

The offenses are detailed in a 57-page indictment, alleging that Adams accepted lavish trips and perks from Turkish officials in exchange for influencing the expedited opening of the Turkish consulate in Manhattan—bypassing Fire Department safety regulations. Investigators also uncovered a scheme involving a straw donation scheme to manipulate the city’s ‘matching funds program’ during the 2021 mayoral campaign, fraudulently securing over $10 million in public funds.

If that weren’t enough, more information was released regarding the influence of the Chinese Communist Party in New York politics. Following the arrest of an aide to Governor Kathy Hochul who was allegedly tied to the Chinese dictatorship, a top aide and fundraiser to the Mayor for the past decade has also been accused of acting on behalf of the CCP. This includes having Adams at an event where a speaker announced the opening of a Chinese-state police station in New York’s Chinatown. Adams has kept close ties and refused to fire staff who were under federal investigations, until they resigned.

Throughout this process, big business looked the other way. Their narrow interests saw Adams’s pro-business policies as far more beneficial than the harm that could come out of the corruption case.

Though Adams is the only official currently charged, several high-ranking members of his administration are under scrutiny and mass resignations have followed. Recent departures include the Schools Chancellor, Police Commissioner, City Hall’s Chief Counsel, and top aides. The Health Commissioner, First Deputy Mayor, and Public Safety Adviser have all announced plans to leave.

Eric Adams maintains his innocence, asserting that the charges are retaliation by the Biden administration for his criticism of the federal government’s handling of the migrant crisis. He has repeatedly framed the city’s financial struggles as a direct result of migrant inflows, using an anti-immigrant narrative to justify austerity measures. In his own words: “I always knew that if I stood my ground for New Yorkers, I would be a target—and a target I became,” rhetoric that has earned him praise from Donald Trump.

Adams further argued that he is being targeted because of his race. Throughout his career he has surrounded himself with Black civil rights leaders, clergy, and grassroots activists, including Al Sharpton, a longtime ally. Even after the indictment, a group of Black clergy leaders gathered outside City Hall in support of the embattled mayor. With Adams being only the second Black mayor in the city’s history, his claim resonates with some New Yorkers, given that he is definitely not the first mayor to exploit the position for personal gain, but the first to face federal charges.

Boiling Frustration Of NYC Workers

In the midst of this turmoil, recent polls show growing calls for Adams’s resignation, with 69% of New York City residents—including 71% of Democrats—believing he should step down. His approval rating has plummeted, with only 26% approving of his performance, while 74% disapprove.

These numbers reflect a long-simmering frustration. Even before the indictment, Adams’s austerity-driven budget policies were highly unpopular. In a June poll, 51% of respondents disapproved of how he managed the city’s budget. His consistent strategy has been to cry crisis, demand austerity, and threaten service cuts, positioning himself as a reluctant steward forced to make hard choices.

In addition, his administration has approved significant increases in water, gas, and electricity bills, resulting in double-digit hikes and annual rent hikes for more than two million tenants in rent-regulated housing. This, while reducing funding for schools, libraries, and childcare. Despite serious corruption allegations, his biggest crime has been his pro-business war against working people.

How A Pro-Business Candidate Became Mayor

A former NYPD officer, Eric Adams was elected at a time where the mass Black Lives Matter struggle was in a decline and being funneled into Democratic electoral races. This followed the lack of tangible victories from the BLM movement and a weakening of the left-wing electoral mood, reflected in the lack of a strong left candidate. 

This is in contrast to his predecessor, Bill deBlasio, who was elected on the heels of the Occupy Wall St. movement and was forced to at least appear to stand up to big business and police brutality. This shift highlights the need for a strong working-class movement tasked with building a political alternative.

With no meaningful option for the working class, big business got their most trusted mayor since Michael Bloomberg. Adams received campaign contributions from hedge funds, charter school promoters, and other corporate interests, promising in return that New York “will no longer be anti-business.”

What’s Next? 

New Yorkers will be electing a mayor later this year. The city’s political crisis and continued attacks on working people show the need for a genuine working-class alternative.

Several Democrats are already positioning themselves for the mayoral primary, including former City Comptroller Scott Stringer, current Comptroller Brad Lander, and state Senators Zellnor Myrie and Jessica Ramos. Former governor Andrew Cuomo, who resigned in August 2021 under the threat of impeachment following serious allegations of sexual harassment, is also considering a run for office. 

The report against Cuomo was authored by state Attorney General Letitia James who has also expressed interest in running. If she decides to run, James could very well become the choice for the liberal establishment to rally behind. She has garnered significant popularity, having made history as the first Black woman to hold the position of state Attorney General and for taking on high-profile legal cases, including lawsuits against the Trump Organization, the NRA, and opioid manufacturers. But unlike the current list of names, a genuine working-class candidate must understand that they cannot please both workers and big business.

In this context, state assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, has announced his candidacy as a Democrat, raising more in donations than any other candidate in the same time period. Mamdani has unapologetically championed tenants’ rights, affordable housing, healthcare reform, the fight against landlord abuses, and is vocal in his opposition to the war in Gaza. 

Despite his genuine work, it is a serious mistake to continue the politically-bankrupt road of running within the Democratic Party, a party fully tied to big business. Mamdani should run as an independent socialist as a step towards building a sustained political alternative.

It is not yet clear whether Adams will be able to run in this year’s elections, but the backlash against him from the Democratic Party and his friendly periodic exchanges with Trump suggested that he might actually switch parties.

Regardless of this year’s mayoral race, it is clear that the organized left-wing and working-class organizations, particularly labor unions, stand in front of a historic task of beginning to mount a political alternative, backed by movements in the streets, workplaces, and college campuses. This alternative has to put front and center the process of pulling unions and the left away from the Democratic Party and build a new party fighting unapologetically for working-class interests.