NEW YORK CITY – Democratic candidate and current New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams is running to be the city’s next mayor, aiming to succeed incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who’s running for re-election as an Independent.
If elected, the 64-year-old would make history as the first woman, the first Black woman and the first City Council speaker to become mayor of New York City.
Who is Adrienne Adams?
Dig deeper:
Adams, who was first elected to the City Council in a 2017 special election, is nearing the end of her term due to term limits. She is a lifelong resident of Queens and was a Bayside High School classmate of Mayor Adams. The two are unrelated.
According to her campaign website, under her leadership, the Council “passed tough, meaningful reforms that advanced maternal and reproductive health, made housing more affordable, and expanded support for crime victims to stop crime and violence.”
New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams delivers the State of the City address at the Jazz at Lincoln Center concert hall in Manhattan on Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (Barry Williams/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
“Adrienne started her public service on the local community board after a nearly two-decade career in the private sector as an executive trainer and childcare instructional trainer,” her campaign website states.
She’s also a “mother, lifelong New Yorker, and proud daughter of Queens.”
What are her key policy stances?
What they’re saying:
Adams says she’s running for mayor to make New York City “safe, affordable, and accountable to the people because she knows what it means to serve, and she knows how to lead.” When asked on Good Day New York how she distinguishes herself from the other candidates, Adams responded: “I trust New Yorkers.”
“I’m already doing the job,” Adams said. “I’m a leader that’s been leading now for a very, very long time as speaker of the New York City Council. So the work that we’ve been doing and the work that we have been expediting in the City Council, my plan as mayor is to take that work, that great work, and expand that work as mayor.”
NYC mayoral candidate Adrienne Adams on affordability; NJ election day preview | Politics Unusual
In this week’s episode of Politics Unusual, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams outlines her mayoral campaign priorities, including basic income for homeless youth, housing affordability and NYPD recruitment, following the recent Democratic debate. Dr. Ashley Koning provides insights on the New Jersey governor’s race as primary voting as primary election day nears. Plus, New York Lieutenant Gov. Antonio Delgado announces his challenge to Gov. Kathy Hochul in next year’s Democratic gubernatorial primary.
“She won’t stop fighting until our city is safe, affordable and Trump-Proof,” her campaign website says.
“I don’t need a manual or a handbook or a transcript because I’m already doing the job,” she said. “I’ve had to step in to leadership, where our mayor, quite frankly, has been distracted at some points, not able to lead or not been able to, I’ve had to step in and make those leadership decisions. So, I’m already doing the work.”
For a closer look at Adams’ stance on all issues, click HERE.
2025 election for NYC mayorPoliticsNew York City