Former Gov. David A. Paterson endorsed Eric Adams’s bid for a second term as mayor of New York City on Tuesday, switching loyalties to become the highest-profile Democrat to back the underdog incumbent.
In an interview, Mr. Paterson sounded skeptical of Mr. Adams’s electoral chances after a federal corruption indictment and accusations that he had conspired with the Trump administration to dismiss the charges. But he said the mayor had been there for him when it counted — and he would do the same.
“There are certain times when, you know what, it’s a friend, you’re not hurting anyone by endorsing him,” Mr. Paterson said. “He’s the candidate who I think, if he did win, would run the city the best.”
He added: “He almost dropped the phone when I told him that about a week ago.”
Mr. Paterson, the state’s first Black governor, could help persuade other Democratic leaders and some voters to give Mr. Adams, the city’s second Black mayor, another look. But polls suggest most voters are tuning the mayor out less than three months before Election Day.
The contest is looking increasingly like a two-man rematch between Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee and front-runner, and former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, the runner-up in June’s primary. Mr. Adams skipped that race and is running as an independent, as is Mr. Cuomo. Curtis Sliwa, the Republican nominee, is currently ahead of Mr. Adams in most polls.
Mr. Adams and Mr. Paterson, who hosts a radio show and works for the casino company Las Vegas Sands, were set to appear together on the steps of City Hall on Wednesday afternoon.
Mr. Paterson’s support for Mr. Adams had not been a given. Though he backed the mayor four years ago, Mr. Paterson endorsed Mr. Cuomo, his successor as governor, during the Democratic primary. Just a few weeks ago, Mr. Paterson lent his support to a proposal to consolidate the field of candidates running against Mr. Mamdani: Whoever was polling best in September would stay in the race, while other rivals to Mr. Mamdani would end their campaigns in an effort to stop his rise.
In the interview, Mr. Paterson said he still believed that those opposed to the Democratic nominee should unite behind a single candidate, but that Mr. Adams deserved a shot.
“I think the only way that Mamdani loses is in a one-on-one match,” he said.
Mr. Paterson said that aides to Mr. Cuomo had called his own staff members in recent days to ask why he was switching loyalties. In the interview, he said he had been put off by Mr. Cuomo’s initial refusal to take blame for his primary defeat. (Mr. Cuomo later took some responsibility for the loss and is attempting to reboot his campaign.)
A spokesman for Mr. Cuomo declined to comment.
Mr. Cuomo and Mr. Adams have each called on the other to leave the race. Mr. Adams rejected the idea in a radio interview on WABC earlier Wednesday.
“I’m moving straight ahead,” he said. “The voters will decide who’s going to be the next mayor.”
When the host, Sid Rosenberg, asked who would be the next mayor, Mr. Adams responded, “Eric Adams.”
Mr. Paterson, for his part, dismissed concerns about the former legal case against the mayor, which included charges that he had taken free travel perks in exchange for favors and collected campaign cash from straw donors, suggesting he had trusted the wrong people. He said he thought the mayor had “recaptured his mojo.”
Mr. Paterson said he found some of Mr. Mamdani’s promises to make the city more affordable appealing, but unrealistic.
“He’s got a base who’s younger and idealistic, and somebody who sounds convincing is going to have to tell them that if he cleaned up a few things, maybe he will be a viable candidate in a few years,” he said. “But right now, we cannot afford someone coming in talking about free bus rides and having the city run the supermarkets.”
Dana Rubinstein contributed reporting.
Nicholas Fandos is a Times reporter covering New York politics and government.
The post Ex-Governor Switches Back to Eric Adams in New York City Mayor’s Race appeared first on New York Times.
