As New Yorkers cast ballots in Tuesday’s primary election, Mayor Eric Adams said voters in the November general election will ultimately judge the next mayor by their track record.
“My record is clear,” Adams said at his weekly press briefing. “Decreasing crime, increasing jobs, navigating us out of COVID, navigating us out of 237,000 migrants and asylum seekers. So I have a record and that’s what it’s going to come down to.”
The mayor, who is running for re-election on two independent ballot lines, said his campaign will launch in the coming weeks. He also took a swipe at his opponents.
“I’m looking forward to speaking about the one who doesn’t have a record and speaking about the one who’s running from his record. And that’s the name of the game,” he said. “I know I’m very much in this race. And out of everyone that’s running, there’s only one thing that I have that no one else has. I won before for mayor. I know how to win a race for mayor.”
Preliminary election results Tuesday night showed Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani leading the primary field with 43.51% of the vote, while former Governor Andrew Cuomo trailed with 36.42%.
In response to a reporter’s question about safety concerns related to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran, Adams said the city is taking proactive measures.
“We’re going to go after those locations that are on our radar that we believe we should always be concerned about when we have particular conflicts,” he said. Adams emphasized the city’s diverse communities and added, “We have to remain vigilant at all times while we keep our city safe. That’s what we are doing.” He noted there were no credible threats at the time.
Adams urged New Yorkers to report anything suspicious: “See something, say something, do something. Don’t try to figure it out. Communicate with us. Let us figure it out. But we need the eyes and ears of New Yorkers to assist us during this time.”
The mayor delivered his briefing from a police precinct in Queens, where he also discussed the impact of Operation Restore Roosevelt—a multi-agency initiative aimed at tackling crime and prostitution in the neighborhoods of Elmhurst, North Corona, and Jackson Heights.
He said the effort led to a 28% year-to-date drop in crime along Roosevelt Avenue, including double-digit reductions in burglaries, grand larcenies, felony assaults, and robberies. The city responded to over 1,600 complaints and conducted more than 1,700 enforcement operations.
“Every New Yorker deserves to have a neighborhood that’s safe, clean—not only physically, but visually,” Adams said. “They deserve better, and we are giving them better.”
