Mayor Eric Adams mysteriously took the weekend off — and even skipped the African American Day Parade in Harlem — as resurrected rumors swirled about him dropping his long-shot re-election bid.
Adams had no public occasions Saturday and Sunday — as mayor or mayoral hopeful — whereas his three opponents hopscotched the Massive Apple with six weeks to go earlier than November’s election.
The flailing, fourth-place-polling incumbent resurfaced Monday for blitz of morning present appearances, the place he tried to downplay his conspicuous absence and angrily dodged questions on him probably dropping his re-election bid.
“Effectively, you realize, in contrast to the opposite candidates within the race, I’ve a day job,” mentioned Adams, who’s operating as an unbiased after skipping a June Democratic Occasion major.
A sitting New York Metropolis mayor’s day job, nevertheless, often consists of exhibiting face at occasions resembling Sunday’s African American Day Parade.
Adams, town’s second black mayor, had attended the parade every of his earlier years in workplace, beginning in 2022.
“Mayor Adams squanders the pulpit energy of incumbency with solely three months to go in his first time period,” mentioned Ken Frydman, a Democratic political operative. “Does the sitting, African American mayor, solely town’s second, have someplace higher to be than the African American Day parade? Appears like he’s thrown within the towel.”
One Harlem Dem who requested anonymity mentioned, “Eric was missed.”
Marketing campaign spokesman Todd Shapiro contended that Adams was “totally engaged” over the weekend — balancing his mayoral duties with obscure “private fundraising and marketing campaign actions.”
“Mayor Adams has by no means been about doing occasions only for present,” Shapiro mentioned.
Adams has hosted dozens of Gracie Mansion receptions and drawn criticism and mockery for internet hosting greater than 130 flag raisings as mayor, based on a evaluate of his every day schedules.
The suspiciously low-key weekend from the in any other case ubiquitous Adams contrasted wildly with these from his rivals Zohran Mamdani, Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa, who made the a lot of the dwindling days earlier than the election.
Mamdani, the Democratic nominee, had a full weekend of occasions, together with driving on a float within the African American Day Parade.
GOP nominee Curtis Sliwa hit up occasions in all 5 boroughs on Saturday, and confirmed up at a 5-mile run and two festivals on Sunday, his schedule reveals.
Even former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat operating as an unbiased after a low-energy “Rose Backyard” major, packed his Sunday with visits to church buildings and a Sikh cultural middle.
Adams, against this, ended his seemingly do-nothing weekend by rescheduling an look on the Rev. Al Sharpton’s MSNBC present.
“I used to be baffled by it,” Sharpton mentioned.
The mayor didn’t publicly resurface till Monday, the place he whined about how rumors he’s dropping out from the race have affected his marketing campaign.
However given the prospect to instantly say he’s staying in, Adams repeated that he did so weeks in the past.
“I did that already, and I’m not going to do it once more,” he informed Fox5. “And subsequent week, you’re going to ask me that query once more. And also you ask me once more, you’d ask me up till Election Day.”
However Ross Wallenstein, a Democratic operative with Wall to Wall Communications, mentioned Adams isn’t serving to his case that he’s staying put.
“If he’s dropping, that is the best way to do it,” Wallenstein mentioned. “If the mayor has a successful technique, we’d all be curious what it’s as a result of skipping occasions 5 weeks out from the final (election) doesn’t appear to be the best way to do it.”
Extra reporting by Carl Campanile
