| | | | |  | | By Nick Reisman, Jeff Coltin and Emily Ngo | |  Former City Council Speaker Christine Quinn is mulling another bid for mayor but would not challenge Mayor Eric Adams, Playbook has learned. | William Alatriste/NYC Council Media Unit | Add former mayoral contender Christine Quinn to the growing list of Democrats weighing a bid for New York City mayor. Quinn, the New York City Council speaker from 2006 through 2013, has spoken with donors in recent days, signaling interest in a potential campaign, two people with direct knowledge of her thinking told Playbook. Her nascent plan includes a giant caveat: She would not run if Mayor Eric Adams remains in the race, the people said. “She is looking at it, but isn’t going to challenge Eric,” said one person granted anonymity to relay a private conversation. “She hadn’t made up her mind.” Now the head of a sprawling nonprofit, Quinn was considered an early favorite to win the Democratic mayoral nomination in 2013. But her alliance with former Mayor Michael Bloomberg propelled her to a devastating third-place finish. Quinn — politically ambitious but cautious all at once — has toyed with returning to public office ever since, weighing citywide runs in 2017 and 2021 that she ended up opting against. Adams is fundraising for reelection, but an ongoing federal probe into his 2021 campaign and close associates has fueled speculation about his viability. Another person who has worked with Quinn said she has made sure to keep her finger on the political pulse. “If there was a case where (Adams) wouldn’t run, she wanted to be ready,” that person said. Quinn is president and CEO of WIN, which provides shelter and assistance to homeless families. She would likely run on a get-things-done platform similar to Adams, but she doesn’t have as big of an established political base to tap into. The votes of her former constituents on Manhattan’s civically active West Side will be up for grabs among a handful of hopeful candidates. Zellnor Myrie, a Brooklyn state senator, announced his bid for mayor in May. Former New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer formed a fundraising committee in January. City Comptroller Brad Lander and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who resigned in 2021, are also seriously considering challenges to Adams. Quinn, who did not respond to a message seeking comment, has previously not ruled out running for public office again. “I’m not running against Mayor Adams, I don’t want to cause a tizzy out there,” she told PIX11 last year, adding, “A girl should never say never in the city of New York.” — Nick Reisman and Jeff Coltin
| | | | 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. | | | | | IT’S TUESDAY. Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman. WHERE’S KATHY? Making a summer recreation announcement in West Harlem. WHERE’S ERIC? Delivering remarks in Brooklyn on the new budget and funding for affordable housing, then holding his weekly off-topic news conference. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I’ve always loved numbers. And in fact, I got a 5 on the calculus AP exam. I never had a chance to brag about that. Now’s my moment.” — Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar, who is considering a run for city comptroller next year, at a library funding announcement with the mayor.
|  | ABOVE THE FOLD | | | 
The Supreme Court ruled Monday that former President Donald Trump is entitled to some immunity in the Jan. 6 election subversion case. | Gerald Herbert/AP | SCOTUS RULES: The landmark Supreme Court decision Monday granting former President Donald Trump immunity from prosecution for official acts as president dealt a blow to Democrats but also gave them something to rally around following President Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance New York Democrats rushed to refocus public attention on the threat they warn the former president poses to democracy. “If elected to a second term, this decision has set the stage for an unchecked dictatorship by the Former President, who has already made his intentions to weaponize the Presidency to seek revenge on his political opponents,” Rep. Jerry Nadler said in a statement. “The conservative majority has made it clear that they won’t hold Trump accountable, enabling him to engage in corruption, self-dealing, and unchecked power grabs,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez went further, saying, “It is up to Congress to defend our nation from this authoritarian capture. I intend on filing articles of impeachment upon our return.” Democrats spoke as one voice to condemn how Trump had gotten a pass for his attempts to subvert the 2020 election, even as they are still struggling against the tidal wave of doubt about Biden’s mental acuity brought on by his Thursday debate against Trump. The high court ruling returns special counsel Jack Smith’s election interference case to lower courts, but the former president posted on social media that it should end all “Witch Hunts against me, including the New York Hoaxes” — referencing the cases brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and Attorney General Tish James. His legal team moved swiftly to try to toss his hush money conviction and postpone his sentencing. Biden, meanwhile, delivered a prime-time address from the White House. “There are no kings in America,” he said. “Each, each of us is equal before the law. No one, no one is above the law, not even the president of the United States.” — Emily Ngo
| | CITY HALL: THE LATEST | | | | 
Bernard Adams famously made a $1 a year salary but he’s still finding a way to support his brother’s reelection campaign. | Courtesy of Eric Adams 2025 | BROTHERLY LOVE: Bernard Adams, who worked on his brother’s mayoral security team, is co-hosting a fundraiser for the mayor at a Flushing restaurant on Saturday, according to an invite obtained by Playbook. Joining him at the afternoon event at banquet hall Crown One is co-host Kaily Cheng, a community board member who used to manage another Chinese restaurant. Cheng hasn’t donated to Adams previously, Campaign Finance Board records show. The neighborhood went heavily for Andrew Yang in 2021, but Adams has worked hard on building support from the coveted Asian voting bloc for his reelection. Meanwhile, one of his top aides, Winnie Greco, is reportedly being probed by federal investigators for her potential involvement in a straw donor scheme connected to a different Flushing Chinese restaurant. Greco was a constant sight at political events in the neighborhood before the February FBI raid on her homes, but not anymore, a local Democratic player told Playbook. Adams himself, the person said, “has still been present.” The deadline for the next citywide campaign finance filing is July 11, and continued strong fundraising from Adams could make candidates on the fence reconsider. — Jeff Coltin More from the city: — Zellnor Myrie wants to be the next mayor — but first, the city has to meet him. (City & State) — Ambulance response times in the city are getting longer — reaching their highest levels since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic four years ago. (Gothamist) — A media executive who’s an agent for China’s government did not disclose a meeting with top Adams advisers to the federal government. (Daily News)
| | NEW FROM PLANET ALBANY | | | 
A pro-Israel group founded by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo is set to release its first TV ad. | Office of the Governor | CUOMO’S PRO-ISRAEL PUSH: The pro-Israel advocacy organization founded by Cuomo will release its first TV ad today that condemns Hamas and also takes a swing at pro-Palestinian demonstrators. It will begin airing on TV in New York after July 4. The ad is the first commercial from the group Never Again, Now! and comes as Cuomo for the last several months has weighed a potential run for New York City mayor. Orthodox Jews comprise an organized voting bloc that Cuomo is hoping to regain favor with after angering some of those voters with pandemic restrictions. Cuomo’s team is not saying how much money is behind the spend for the ad, but described it as “sizable” and will be “ramped up.” Cuomo told a predominantly Jewish club in Manhattan last month that he’s critical of Democrats who have equivocated their support of Israel. The ad comes after college campuses around the country this spring were the site of pro-Palestinian demonstrations, creating a political headache for higher education administrators and a political opening for Republicans. In a statement, Cuomo said the ad — which includes a graphic video of the Oct. 7 terrorist attack — is meant to serve as a reminder of how Israel was the victim. “The ad is intense because what happened was intensely brutal,” Cuomo said in a statement. “We need to educate people on what the stakes truly are and why history cannot be repeated.” Cuomo resigned in 2021 following allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct; he’s denied any wrongdoing. — Nick Reisman TICK TOCK FOR DOCGO: Republican lawmakers are pressing state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli to investigate DocGo, the controversial medical services company that has worked on the state’s migrant crisis. In a letter to DiNapoli, two dozen state legislators urged him to investigate how the company received a $432 million contract from New York City to provide housing and other services to migrants. “New Yorkers deserve transparency and accountability from organizations that spend and are paid by public funds, full stop,” Hudson Valley Assemblymember Matt Slater said. GOP lawmakers hold little real power in Albany that can be leveraged into a formal investigation. But the calls for a DocGo probe from Republicans serve to put the politically charged issue back into the limelight. DiNapoli’s office declined to comment on the calls for him to investigate. It’s not just Republicans looking to score political points off of DocGo’s troubles: Lander, the progressive Democrat eyeing a mayoral run, has warned of problems. The company has been under fire for how it has handled migrant care, with controversies ranging from claims of aggressive security guards, food waste and a lack of coordination with government officials. New York City officials in April said they would scale back business with DocGo and eventually transition to a different company to provide services. The company was given a “temporary” extension of its contract until December when a bidding process for its replacement can be held. The company in a statement stood by its work and insisted it “responded when New York City was in crisis” to provide support for 16,000 migrants. “Further, an independent on-site audit from the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) has already confirmed the quality of our program and services,” spokesperson Thomas Meara said. “DocGo welcomes a fair, impartial review of our work. We know it will stand, as we perform with responsibility, fiscal oversight and cost controls.” — Nick Reisman More from Albany: — New York is not expected to hit a key renewable energy target in less than a decade. (POLITICO Pro) — Business groups want Hochul to walk away from a tax hike on managed care organizations. (WTEN) — The dollar amount that Legislative candidates, and the independent expenditure groups supporting them, spent per vote in the primaries. (City & State)
| | NEW YORK STATE OF MIND | | — If George Latimer heads to the House, Ken Jenkins is poised to become the first Black county executive in Westchester. (City & State) — Albany County District Attorney David Soares has been mum since he lost his Democratic primary to Lee Kindlon. (WAMC) — After mobilizing Jewish voters for Latimer, the Teach NY Coalition is setting its sights on boosting votes in city races next year. (New York Post)
| | | | Understand 2024’s big impacts with Pro’s extensive Campaign Races Dashboard, exclusive insights, and key coverage of federal- and state-level debates. Focus on policy. Learn more. | | | | | | | SOCIAL DATA | | MAKING MOVES — Hale Diamond is now communications director for Rep. Tim Kennedy (D-N.Y.). She previously was deputy communications director for House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Democrats. … Rance Lee, the former deputy director of admissions at the U.S. Military Academy, is becoming the director of admissions. … … Brett Dockwell has been named a real estate litigation partner at law firm Haynes and Boone, LLP. He most recently was a partner at Morrison Cohen LLP. … Ilyse Dolgenas has been promoted to partner in the NY office of the law firm Withers. MEDIAWATCH — Gary Clemons is the new executive director of housing and community development news outlet City Limits. He most recently was executive director of Friends of the Children. … Neil deMause has joined New York Focus as interim managing editor. – “‘I’m Not Naive’: Inside Emma Tucker’s Rocky Wall Street Journal Reboot: The British-born editor has injected America’s business paper of record with ambition and verve, while unnerving the newsroom with unapologetic cuts. The restructuring ‘may look callous,’ she says. ‘But it’s so that we get it right, so I don’t have to do it over again,’” by Charlotte Klein in VF ENGAGED — Timothy Nerozzi, breaking news reporter at Fox News Digital, and Diana Glebova, campaign reporter at the New York Post, got engaged on Friday at the waterfront in Old Town, Alexandria. They met when they were both editors at the Daily Caller in 2021 and began dating after repeatedly running into each other at D.C. parties throughout 2023. They plan to get married in the U.S. with an additional reception in Ukraine. Pics — Conor Maguire, principal and managing director at WPAi, proposed to Erin Perrine, a strategist at Axiom Strategies, on Tuesday on the deck of their Alexandria home, after making the same meal for dinner they had the first date he cooked for her. They met in Atlanta working for Never Back Down. Pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) (4-0) … Jonathan Capehart … NYC Council Member Rafael Salamanca … New York City Hospitality Alliance’s Andrew Rigie … Xavier Mission’s Cassandra Agredo … The Bronx Chronicle’s Robert Press … Stephen Hanse … Katherine Lehr … NBC’s Tom Llamas and Keith Morrison … Derek Gianino of Wells Fargo … Michele Gershberg Missed Monday’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 | | | | |
