NEW YORK — New York City candidates running as independents can only appear on one ballot line. Mayor Eric Adams wants to sue over that — a self-serving move to boost his visibility as he launches a longshot bid to retain his mayoralty.
Adams suggested on Tuesday he plans to take action against the New York City Board of Elections over ballot access, potentially opening another legal front in his reelection bid.
Speaking at an unrelated press briefing in City Hall, the mayor blasted the board’s decision to limit him to one independent ballot line in the general election — a determination based on state law.
“I think that’s unfair,” Adams said. “I think the rules for everyone should be the same, and so our legal team is now looking at that to determine if it's constitutionally sound.”
Adams dropped out of the Democratic primary while still under the cloud of his now-defunct criminal bribery case, which was tossed at the behest of President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice. He'll run as an independent in the November general election and wants to appear on two ballot lines of his own creation: EndAntiSemitism and Safe&Affordable.
Candidates who earn the nomination of major parties can also run on an independent ballot line, which Adams — a registered Democrat — is now calling unfair.
Last week, Adams’ campaign spokesperson told The New York Times the team was exploring its legal options. The mayor’s comments Tuesday solidified his opposition to the decision.
“I don’t think running for a general election should be tilted towards the primary lines in the city,” Adams said Tuesday.
Any potential legal action against the board would be the second lawsuit Adams is filing in his longshot reelection bid. As POLITICO first reported, Adams sued the Campaign Finance Board last month, accusing the organization of improperly denying him millions of dollars in public matching funds.
With his EndAntiSemitism ballot line, Adams has made clear that appealing to Jewish voters will be a key part of his campaign — a tactic shared by mayoral frontrunner Andrew Cuomo.
Over the weekend, however, Adams sat down for a more than hourlong interview with Sneako, a streaming personality who has made comments widely considered antisemitic. On Saturday, a day before he sat down with Adams over cigars at Gracie Mansion, Sneako penned a social media post saying “Israel is not compatible with Western civilization.”
Adams said he was unaware of Sneako’s prior comments. He said the content creator was at the official mayoral residence because he came along with conservative television personality Amber Rose, whom Adams had invited to meet his son. Sneako then asked to interview Adams on the spot.
“I didn’t know him before that, and my son was excited to meet Amber Rose and engage in a conversation with her,” Adams said. “And that was how all that came about.”
Adams also defended his record with the New York Jewish community and said he does not share Sneako's views.
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