At one end of the New York mayoral race is the high-flying campaign of Democratic front-runner Zohran Mamdani, with a commanding lead in a four-man race; at the other end is the imploding campaign of Eric Adams, the incumbent mayor whose poll numbers are hovering in single digits. Why is the relative newcomer making it look easy, and how long can he maintain the lead? Meanwhile why is the seasoned political veteran under water? JC Polanco is a political analyst and assistant professor at Mount Saint Vincent College in the Bronx; he appeared on 710 WOR’s Mendte in the Morning program to discuss one scenario where their fortunes could change: if Mayor Adams withdraws and makes it a three-man race for Gracie Mansion.
Polanco told host Larry Mendte that withdrawing would at least salvage Adams’ approval rating and reputation as a leader: “Look, if the former President of the United States [Joe Biden]… could do it, why can’t you, Mayor Adams? Why can’t you just see the numbers are just not there? It would be a brave thing; it would be selfless for you to do, just to step aside and let this be a three-person race between Curtis Sliwa, Andrew Cuomo and Assemblyman Mamdani, and let’s see what’s going to happen… Save [your] reputation; you’ve been a leader this whole time. Make it happen- follow Joe Biden’s lead and step aside.”
Mamdani, meanwhile, is getting a free pass from the media, which does not sit well with Polanco: “Why isn’t (sic) some of the things that Assemblyman Mamdani is saying about crime, about the Jewish state, about how he’s going to go ahead and look for a way to seize the methods of production… all that we see is his smile, how happy he is, the scavenger hunt, how wonderful and exciting these Marxist policies are, and nobody really wants to talk to him about it.”
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