Adrienne Adams, the City Council speaker vying to become the first female mayor of New York City, received the backing of three major unions on Wednesday, shaking up a Democratic contest two months before the primary.
The labor endorsements, which came alongside a separate endorsement from Letitia James, the state attorney general, were a signal that not all of New York’s institutional support will fall to the front-runner, former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, and they could prompt others to reconsider his air of inevitability.
Ms. James, who is broadly popular among Democrats in New York, appeared with Ms. Adams at a campaign rally on Wednesday, along with leaders of the three unions: District Council 37, the city’s largest municipal union; Unite Here Local 100, which represents hospitality workers; and Communications Workers of America Local 1180, which represents social service workers.
“Adrienne Adams is a fearless leader who puts people over politics,” Ms. James said in a statement released before the rally. “She has repeatedly stood up for New Yorkers and won, keeping libraries open and protecting child care for families.”
Ms. James also praised Ms. Adams for “leading the city’s fight against the Trump administration,” including her opposition to allowing federal immigration authorities to open offices at the Rikers Island jail complex.
Ms. Adams entered the race later than the eight other major Democratic candidates in the June 24 primary, and she has yet to break through in public polling and raise enough donations to qualify for campaign matching funds.
Mr. Cuomo has won support from most major unions so far. But District Council 37 represents roughly 150,000 members and more than 80,000 retirees, and its endorsement of Eric Adams in the 2021 mayor’s race helped him win a competitive Democratic primary.
The union released a statement on Tuesday night naming Ms. Adams as its first choice, followed by Zohran Mamdani and Zellnor Myrie, two state lawmakers, calling them “pro-worker candidates.”
Mr. Adams, who is not related to the City Council speaker, has record-low approval ratings and decided to run as an independent in the general election in November. He was indicted last year on federal corruption charges that were later dropped under pressure from the Trump administration.
Ms. Adams is running on a message of experience and integrity, highlighting her role negotiating the city’s $114 billion budget and offering herself as a scandal-free alternative to Mr. Cuomo and Mr. Adams. Mr. Cuomo resigned in 2021 after a series of sexual harassment allegations that he denies; Mr. Adams was the first sitting mayor in the city’s modern history to face a federal indictment.
Ms. James has an acrimonious history with Mr. Cuomo: She led a state investigation into the allegations against him and released a scathing report that found that he had harassed at least 11 women. Mr. Cuomo has argued that the allegations were politically motivated.
Ms. James considered running for mayor herself, but decided to stay in her current job, where she has repeatedly challenged President Trump in court. Ms. James encouraged Ms. Adams to run for mayor, and will now campaign by her side and use her political capital to help her.
Ms. Adams, a moderate Democrat from southeast Queens, said in a statement that she was proud to have the attorney general’s support.
“She’s never backed down from holding the powerful accountable — no matter the cost,” she said. “Together, we’ll protect New York from Donald Trump and always put the people first.”
Ms. Adams has also received support from the left-leaning Working Families Party, which endorsed her and three other Democrats: Brad Lander, the city comptroller; Mr. Mamdani, a state assemblyman; and Mr. Myrie, a state senator.
Mr. Mamdani is in second place behind Mr. Cuomo with about 16 percent of voters, according to a recent Siena College poll. Ms. Adams and Mr. Lander each had 6 percent in the poll, and Mr. Myrie had 4 percent.
Democrats who oppose Mr. Cuomo are starting to coalesce behind Ms. Adams, Mr. Mamdani and Mr. Lander, hoping that they will work together and encouraging voters to list all three under the city’s relatively new ranked-choice voting system.
Emma G. Fitzsimmons is the City Hall bureau chief for The Times, covering Mayor Eric Adams and his administration.
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