NYC mayor blames progressives for state's midterm losses, angering fellow Democrats: ‘They’re at fault’

NEW YORK — Mayor Eric Adams blamed progressive activists Thursday for his party’s spotty performance in New York’s midterm elections, infuriating fellow Democrats who say his finger-pointing is factually dubious and plays into the hands of Republicans.

Between the U.S. House and Albany’s two state legislative chambers, Republicans are on track to flip more than a half dozen Democratic seats across New York in Tuesday’s elections.

Left-wing groups such as the Working Families Party have said Adams is in part at fault for the setbacks because of what they see as his fear-mongering on public safety, including claiming this spring that he’s “never witnessed crime at this level” in the city.

Speaking at a news conference in Brooklyn on Thursday afternoon, Adams flipped the script back on progressives, claiming they’re actually to blame for the midterm fiasco.

“I’m just waiting for Rod Serling to come out because that’s simply the Twilight Zone,” he said when asked for a response to the Working Families Party’s contention that his hard-line messaging on crime hampered Democrats in the midterms. “Think of this for a moment: If every poll shows that New Yorkers are concerned about crime and their mayor is responding to their concern, who should be at fault? Those who ignore the concerns.

“The problem was we ignored the concerns of everyday New Yorkers. They’re at fault for that,” he added, in reference to the Working Families Party.

Adams’ blame game drew harsh pushback from Bill Neidhardt, a progressive strategist who used to serve as former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s top spokesman in City Hall.

“This guy was echoing Lee Zeldin’s crime rhetoric, and he has the gall to point at anyone else for hindering Democrats,” Neidhardt told the New York Daily News, referring to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Republican opponent, whose narrow defeat marked one of the few bright spots for New York Democrats this week.

Neidhardt noted that the GOP candidates who flipped four New York House seats faced moderate Democratic opponents who have echoed some of Adams’ public safety rhetoric.

“Eric Adams’ message lost Tuesday,” he said before spelling out an explosive goal for the city’s 2025 mayoral election: “New York Democrats should focus on cleaning house at the State Democratic Party and mounting a primary challenge against a deeply damaging and corrupt mayor who does not represent what the Democratic Party is about.”

Before his Brooklyn news conference, Adams went on MSNBC to also lay blame for the midterm defeats on criminal justice reform legislation enacted by Democratic lawmakers in Albany.

“This catch, repeat, release system is just destroying the foundation of our country, and that’s why we are losing this election,” he said. “Six out of 10 New Yorkers in the Hispanic and Asian community voted Democrat compared to seven to eight out of 10 last time. We are losing the base Black and brown who really believe in those basic things: public safety, housing, education.”

The state Legislature’s reforms were first adopted in 2019, and the most impactful provision eliminated cash bail for nonviolent offenses, with the impetus that it would address racial and economic disparities in the criminal justice system.

But the reforms have been amended several times since, including just this spring, when the Legislature, at Hochul’s direction, made more crimes bail-eligible and gave judges discretion to set bail and even remand defendants over repeat offenses, regardless of whether they’re violent or nonviolent.

Asked how the reforms can still result in a “catch, repeat, release system” given this spring’s modifications, Adams said more action is still needed, but offered few specifics.

“Because of Kathy Hochul, Gov. Hochul, we were able to look at some of those problems. We were able to close the door, but there’s more we have to do,” he said. “We have to get it right.”

Speaking to reporters later in the day in Puerto Rico, where she’s attending the Somos conference, Hochul said she isn’t for now making any moves on Adams’ push for more criminal justice reform rollbacks.

“I’m not going to be negotiating at this time,” she said. “I’m going to be talking to the legislators, looking at information as we head into the next session. It is November. Our next session starts in January and that’s our opportunity to really roll up our sleeves and find out areas that need improvement.”

Adams’ latest foray into bail reform is unlikely to be welcomed by Democratic lawmakers in Albany, many of whom were reluctant to act on this spring’s amendments. The back and forth with Adams’ team earlier this year unnerved some legislators, and stalled his priorities on other issues in the last session.

A state legislative aide said Adams isn’t doing himself any favors with liberal lawmakers by revisiting the bail reform fracas ahead of the next session.

“Once again, the mayor is parroting false Republican talking points,” the aide said. “He should focus on finding real solutions to the crime problem in New York City.”

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