| | | | |  | | By Jeff Coltin, Nick Reisman and Emily Ngo | |  City Comptroller Brad Lander is eyeing Mayor Eric Adams' position and may challenge his run for reelection next year. | Sophie Ota/Office of NYC Comptroller | NEW YORK MINUTE: The city’s nine-member Rent Guidelines Board will hold its final vote this evening on proposed lease adjustments for rent-stabilized apartments, lofts and hotels. Under consideration is an increase for rent-stabilized units that could be as high as 6.5 percent for two-year leases. LANDING ON A DECISION: City Comptroller Brad Lander is seriously considering running for mayor in 2025 and could announce plans to challenge Mayor Eric Adams in July, according to five people familiar with his thinking. Lander’s entrance would shake up the mayoral race, pitting a progressive citywide incumbent against Adams, and would also kick off competition for the open comptroller seat. Lander has long been considered a potential candidate if an unlikely one, but he’s moved toward running in recent weeks — in part given the mayor’s political vulnerability. Federal investigators are probing Adams’ 2021 campaign, and polls have approval ratings under 30 percent. Adams may revel in a Lander challenge. The mayor has mocked him as “the loudest person in New York City” and he fits the profile Team Adams loves to target: progressive, white, upper-class transplants who readily criticize the record of the city’s Black mayor. But Lander could be formidable, as someone who himself won a competitive citywide primary for an open seat in 2021. He’s been fundraising aggressively and has hired Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s former campaign manager Rebecca Rodriguez to help him. Consulting heavyweights BerlinRosen and Global Strategy Group are also on his team. A standard bearer of the city’s progressive wing, he would emphasize affordability concerns if he ran. Lander’s campaign declined to comment. Running for mayor would mean not running for a second term as comptroller, and that’s just one of the factors that could cause him to waver. Adams ally Jennifer Rajkumar, a state assembly member, is eyeing a bid for city comptroller. People who have talked to Lander say he plans to run but might change his mind and wait until 2029 — though he would face a crowded field for an open seat if Adams wins reelection next year. There is no major time crunch to decide, since unlike mayoral contenders Scott Stringer and Zellnor Myrie, Lander already has a citywide account for fundraising. “He’s been talking about making some sort of announcement over the summer,” said one person who has talked directly with Lander. “I don’t know if that’s going to be exploratory, or ‘I’m in.’” There’s been a lot of talk among progressive critics of Adams about finding just one standard-bearer to run against him, and Lander would complicate that, with Myrie already in. But the city’s ranked-choice voting system is designed to reward collaborative efforts on the campaign trail. For now, the Working Families Party is welcoming him. “We are eager to see real working families champions jump in and make the case to New Yorkers. In that way, we’re happy to see someone of the caliber of Brad take these steps,” state party co-director Ana María Archila told Playbook about their longtime ally. But, she added, it’s too early to pick one candidate and endorse. — Jeff Coltin IT’S MONDAY. Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman.
| | | | THE GOLD STANDARD OF POLICY REPORTING & INTELLIGENCE: POLITICO has more than 500 journalists delivering unrivaled reporting and illuminating the policy and regulatory landscape for those who need to know what’s next. Throughout the election and the legislative and regulatory pushes that will follow, POLITICO Pro is indispensable to those who need to make informed decisions fast. The Pro platform dives deeper into critical and quickly evolving sectors and industries—finance, defense, technology, healthcare, energy—equipping policymakers and those who shape legislation and regulation with essential news and intelligence from the world’s best politics and policy journalists.
Our newsroom is deeper, more experienced, and better sourced than any other—with teams embedded in the world’s most active legislative and regulatory power centers. From Brussels to Washington, New York to London, Sacramento to Paris, we bring subscribers inside the conversations that determine policy outcomes and the future of industries, providing insight that cannot be found anywhere else. Get the premier news and policy intelligence service, SUBSCRIBE TO POLITICO PRO TODAY. | | | | | WHERE’S KATHY? In Dutchess County, touring an autism center and making an announcement. Also stopping in Connecticut. WHERE’S ERIC? Holding a briefing on the coming heatwave and holding his weekly off-topic press conference a day earlier than usual. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “People see weakness, and when they see weakness they attack.” — Working Families Party New York co-director Jasmine Gripper on the political fallout for Gov. Kathy Hochul after her congestion pricing reversal.
|  | ABOVE THE FOLD | | | | 
Ranked-choice voting was adopted by a ballot proposal passed in the off-cycle 2019 citywide election. | Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images | RIP TO RCV? Adams does not like ranked-choice voting, and there’s a looming concern among supporters of the still-new practice that his Charter Revision Commission is going to try to kill it — which could potentially benefit Adams’ own reelection campaign. Adams called the commission at the behest of education activist and LittleAfrica News publisher Mona Davids. And she called for the repeal of RCV at a public hearing on June 6, saying it has “utterly failed” and “has not increased voter turnout” (though the only citywide election where it’s been used, in 2021, saw the highest turnout in a generation). The next day, the commission announced plans for a forum specifically on “government and election reform” — newly added “based on testimony and the commissioners' own interest in the topic,” commission spokesperson Frank Dwyer told Playbook. That election reform hearing is tonight at Lincoln Hospital in the South Bronx. Voters approved RCV in 2019, and it’s far from clear that repealing it would be on the ballot this year — a person familiar with the commissioners’ thinking said there’s not much appetite for it. Asked about RCV last week, Adams suggested he hadn’t thought much about it recently. “It’s not ranked on the top things on my list,“ he said. “I have a whole city going on.” Still, potential 2025 challenger Stringer is among those who think Adams wants RCV gone. “I would not put it past him. This is a sham charter revision commission,” he told Playbook. “It was formed to do political bidding. But look, we will be ready. And we will meet them at the polling places.” — Jeff Coltin
| | CITY HALL: THE LATEST | | | | 
Mayor Eric Adams and City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams must reach a deal on the city budget before July 1. | John McCarten/NYC Council Media Unit | MIND THE MONEY: The city budget is due in two weeks, and a fiscal watchdog is asking the mayor and council to please be for real with the numbers for once. First in Playbook, the Citizens Budget Commission sent a letter to the mayor and the City Council speaker Friday calling for accurate numbers and an end to the standard practice of underbudgeting for costs like overtime. That’s been a frequent complaint of the CBC, among others. The letter also calls for at least $1 billion to be added to the rainy day fund, so the city is better prepared for a fiscal downturn. — Jeff Coltin SHOW US WHAT YOU GOT: Adams and other elected officials’ personal financial disclosures are expected to be posted online today by the Conflict of Interest Board. Playbook will be poring through them. The mayor has a history of amending his disclosures, after omissions and errors — such as his partial ownership of a Prospect Heights co-op and cryptocurrency holdings — are pointed out by the press. — Jeff Coltin More from the city: — How one woman’s quest to fix her Harlem housing complex got her busted on campaign finance charges. (Daily News) — The city’s Campaign Finance Board backed expanding straw donor enforcement powers, amid Adams campaign issues. (Daily News) — The city has started implementing the desperately awaited, middlingly received tax break for affordable housing developments that was approved in the state budget. (Crain’s)
| | NEW FROM PLANET ALBANY | | | 
New York state law already bans bump stocks for firearms. | George Frey/Reuters/Newscom | IN STOCK: The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision overturning a Trump-era rule meant to ban bump stocks won’t have any effect in New York. State lawmakers and then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2020 approved a measure that banned the devices, which enable semiautomatic weapons to fire like fully automatic guns. The law was approved in the wake of the Las Vegas mass shooting. “These weapons are designed to inflict as much damage as possible as quickly as possible and have no place on our streets,” Assemblymember Pat Fahy, who sponsored the ban with state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal, said. The Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision last week that the Trump administration’s rule change went beyond a decades-old law approved by Congress. — Nick Reisman More from Albany: — There’s scrutiny for Mark Gorton, a wealthy donor to groups backing congestion pricing as well as Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (New York Post) — The outgoing leader of New York City Transit warned that shelving congestion pricing could lead to problems for the subway. (Gothamist) — Hochul’s congestion pricing decision is sending ripples across the country. (New York Times)
| | KEEPING UP WITH THE DELEGATION | | | 
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) will be starting his weekend in NY-16, hoping to boost Rep. Jamaal Bowman. | Courtesy of Tyler Evans Design | HELP FROM HIS FRIENDS: Rep. Jamaal Bowman is getting by with a lot of help from progressive standard-bearers and other Squad members in the last stretch of his uphill battle to fend off challenger George Latimer. Sen. Bernie Sanders is now slated to not just one but two rallies for Bowman this week. The first is Friday in Hastings on the Hudson (under the banner of “For the Many, Not the Money”), the second is Saturday in the Bronx, where Bowman and Sanders will be joined by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. And Bowman’s campaign received a combined $7,000 last Friday from the committees of Squad-repping Reps. Summer Lee of Pennsylvania and Delia Ramirez of Illinois, according to an FEC filing Sunday. Bowman and Latimer are in the final week of early voting ahead of their June 25 primary. The Westchester County executive appears to have the upper hand, thanks not just to attack ads by an AIPAC offshoot — costing $12 million and counting — but also to his long-standing ties to the community that he’s represented in various elected officials for three decades, POLITICO reported. — Emily Ngo TRUMP FOR ESPOSITO: Former President Donald Trump formally endorsed Republican House hopeful Alison Esposito in her bid to unseat Democratic Rep. Pat Ryan. Trump’s endorsement of Esposito came in a post on Truth Social, which highlighted her service in the NYPD. “President Donald Trump's endorsement is another significant milestone in our campaign,” Esposito said in a statement touting the endorsement from the likely GOP nominee. “It is a testament to the shared values and vision we have for our nation.” The endorsement from Trump will likely give Esposito a boost with base GOP voters in the battleground Hudson Valley House district, the only seat where New York Republicans are playing offense in the state this year. Still, there are some pitfalls given Trump’s lightning rod persona among Democrats and some independent voters who could be turned off by the nod. Trump additionally endorsed Mike LiPetri, the former state assemblymember challenging Rep. Tom Suozzi on Long Island, calling his fellow Republican “an INCREDIBLE America First Fighter.” — Nick Reisman More from the delegation: — After Trump foe Michael Cohen said he planned to challenge Rep. Jerry Nadler in 2026, the representative called him disgraced and a con man. (NY Mag) — Progressive Democrats scramble to save one of their own stars, Bowman, from defeat. (New York Times) — On Latimer’s history of slow-walking federal segregation efforts in Westchester County, according to public records. (Jacobin)
| | NEW YORK STATE OF MIND | | — Parsing the poll numbers, on whether Hochul’s congestion pricing move was good or bad politics. (Vital City) — Cryptomining is noisy, but a western New York community says it can’t enforce a local noise ordinance. (Buffalo News) — It’s going to be absurdly hot this week. (Spectrum News)
| | | | JOIN US ON 6/26 FOR A TALK ON AMERICA’S SUPPLY CHAIN: From the energy grid to defense factories, America’s critical sites and services are a national priority. Keeping them up and running means staying ahead of the threat and protecting the supply chains that feed into them. POLITICO will convene U.S. leaders from agencies, Congress and the industry on June 26 to discuss the latest challenges and solutions for protecting the supply lines into America’s critical infrastructure. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | SOCIAL DATA | | WEEKEND WEDDINGS — Alex Katz, managing director for government affairs at Blackstone, on Saturday married Jessica Dean, congressional correspondent at CNN. Kaitlan Collins officiated the wedding at The Grill in Midtown Manhattan and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who Alex used to work for, sang “New York, New York” and lifted him up on the chair during the hora. The couple also had an Elvis impersonator jamming to “Jailhouse Rock.” They met a couple of years ago in D.C. Pic ... Another pic SPOTTED: Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.), Jon Gray, Tom Nides and Virginia Moseley, Vik Sawhney, Jeff Zeleny, Clarissa Ward, Kylie Atwood and Steve Harrington, Alex Marquardt and Amanda McClements, Alex and Caitlin Conant, Mike Smith and Sabrina Singh, John McCarthy, Herbie and Arlie Ziskend, Daniel Koh and Amy Sennett, Jeff Solnet, Meridith McGraw and John Beasley, Risa Heller and Ryan Toohey, Tammy Haddad, Emily and Ken Spain, Allie Malloy, Kristin Fisher, Rachel Adler, Ali Spiesman, Ali Zaslav, Chris and Jen Isham, Steve Elmendorf, Jeremy and Robyn Bash, Adam Verdugo, Marc Adelman, Mark Angelson and Angelo Roefaro. — “A ‘Soul-Mate’ Connection Forged From Opposite Coasts: Tyler Eyre and Yasmin Khorram, whose family fled Iran four decades ago, describe the connection on their first date as ‘like lightning,’” by NYT’s Halina Bennet HAPPY BIRTHDAY: New Deal’s Camille Rivera … former state Sen. John Sampson … DOHMH’s Brian Fargnoli … Matt Canter of Global Strategy Group … Alex Weprin … Maxwell Nunes … CNBC’s Christina Wilkie … CNN’s Allie Malloy … CBS’ Nicole Domenica Sganga … Jessica Boulanger … Rebecca Zisser … (WAS SUNDAY): Don McGahn … Michael Isikoff … Phil Singer of Marathon Strategies … POLITICO’s Cristina Gallotto … Indira Lakshmanan … Omar Khan … Cayla O’Connell Davis … Ken Wolf … Alison Gopnik … Ronen Bergman … POLITICO’s Brian Faler … (WAS SATURDAY): CNN’s Dana Bash, Bianna Golodryga and Karl de Vries … Richard Edelman ... Elli Sweet … Jana Plat … AP’s Evan Vucci … Clifford Levy … MSNBC’s Will Rabbe … Alyssa Farah Griffin … Sophie Vaughan … Marie Harf … Rebecca Rutkoff … (WAS FRIDAY): Chloe Chik of Brad Lander’s office … Stanley Druckenmiller ... Pavel Khodorkovsky Missed Friday’s New York Playbook PM? We forgive you. Read it here. | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
