| | | |  | | By Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Cris Seda Chabrier
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City Council speaker Adrienne Adams is running for mayor of New York City. | Emil Cohen/NYC Council Media Unit | Adrienne Adams has made a decision: The City Council speaker is running for mayor of New York City. The late entrance by a reluctant candidate stands to shake up the Democratic primary, as her traditional base of support overlaps with that of the two scandal-scarred executives headlining the contest: Mayor Eric Adams and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. “New Yorkers can't afford to live here, City Hall is in chaos, and Donald Trump is corrupting our city's independence. It’s time to stand up,” Speaker Adams said in a statement. She’ll start petitioning immediately, POLITICO reports in a story breaking Wednesday night on Adams getting in. She is also planning to hold a campaign rally Saturday in her home borough of Queens. She’ll have to get to fundraising — and quickly. With just over $200,000 in the bank, she’s at a massive cash disadvantage compared to rivals who have upwards of $3 million on hand. That’s just one of the issues facing Speaker Adams. Another is her sharing a name — but no relation — with the historically unpopular mayor. She endorsed him in 2021, and the mayor used to joke they were partners in the Adams & Adams law firm. But that relationship has gone the way of Cellino & Barnes. Time will tell if she leans into that record and pitches herself as a leader of the anti-Eric Adams #Resistance. Today, she’s calling herself a humble public servant, “a leader that serves its people first and always, not someone focused on themselves and their own political interests,” she said. “No drama, no nonsense — just my commitment to leading with competence and integrity.” Speaker Adams was recruited to run because she isn’t Cuomo. And she could make things more difficult for the former governor. The 64-year-old former Fortune 500 corporate trainer, who hails from a vote-rich section of Queens and has deep ties to prominent Black institutions, stands to compete for votes in the predominantly Black central Brooklyn and southeast Queens neighborhoods that are key to Cuomo’s path to victory. She got an early, positive reception from the city’s public advocate, Jumaane Williams. He’s already backed City Comptroller Brad Lander’s candidacy, but his main focus is making sure Adams and Cuomo lose. “I am very excited about Adrienne. Very excited,” he told Playbook on Wednesday. “Gotta make DREAM happen. ‘Don’t Rank Eric or Andrew for Mayor.’ Let’s live the dream. And I think she can be a part of that.” — Jeff Coltin HAPPY THURSDAY: Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman. WHERE’S KATHY? In Albany and New York City, speaking at the Citizens Budget Commission Gala. WHERE’S ERIC? In New York City, where he’ll make a public safety and quality of life announcement, speak at the Muslim Advisory Council’s CityState Interfaith Iftar and at the Citizen Budget Commissions’ Annual Gala. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “There’s a reason anti-patronage rules exist. It’s to protect the integrity of our government systems, not to create a game of political musical chairs.” — Ben Weinberg, public policy director at the government reform group Citizens Union, in New York Focus’ deep dive on political patronage in the courts.
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New York City Mayor Eric Adams testifies during a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on sanctuary cities on Capitol Hill March 5, 2025. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | ADAMS UNDER (DEM) FIRE: He’s unpopular among Democratic voters at home. He’s a political target for Democrats in Washington. Eric Adams is back in New York City today after a bruising, six-hour congressional hearing where his fellow Democrats grilled him on his immigration policies and charged that he’s beholden to Trump. The attacks ran the Dem gamut and included barbs from left-of-center Rep. Laura Gillen and hard-left Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The scene was worlds away from four years ago when some Democrats were hailing Adams as the future of the party. The grilling in Congress accompanied a new poll showing a majority of New York City voters want him to stand up to the president on immigration. “It just shows you Trump Derangement Syndrome is alive and well,” GOP Rep. Nick Langworthy told POLITICO’s Ben Jacobs of Adams and House Democrats. “God forbid he didn’t subscribe to the orthodoxy all the time and now they want to excommunicate him.” It was a through-the-looking-glass moment at a hearing meant to be a vehicle for Republicans to slam sanctuary city mayors. Adams, for his part, sought to convey that he welcomes immigrants but wants violent criminals among them to be deported. He was instead forced — helped by an outside counsel to the city who whispered guidance in his ear — to also repeat that there is “no deal, no quid pro quo” with Trump after his Justice Department ordered that Adams’ fraud case be dismissed. The mayor pushed back, too. When Ocasio-Cortez pressed him on the specifics of a meeting between his lawyers and federal prosecutors, he said, “Congresswoman, you appear to want to ask the question over and over again, so I can only give you the appropriate (answer) over and over again.” When Gillen queried him on his handling of the migrant surge and its impact on neighboring Nassau County, he said, “Thank God you don’t live in New York City. You live on Long Island.” Neither Ocasio-Cortez nor Gillen are House Oversight members and “waived on” to the hearing specifically to ask questions of their fellow New York Democrat. Adams has said that the Democratic Party left him. But it appeared Wednesday that the party isn’t exactly done with him yet. — Emily Ngo
| | CITY HALL: THE LATEST | | | 
Budget Director Jacques Jiha noted that steel tariffs stand to drive up the cost of major infrastructure projects. | Courtesy of NYC Mayor's Office | TRUMP’S NEW YORK: Recently proposed cuts to federal spending, Trump’s tariffs and an $80 million clawback of federal FEMA funds have thrown New York City’s annual budget process into chaos — and the budget dance is just getting started, Joe Anuta reports in POLITICO Pro. On Wednesday, members of the City Council grilled Mayor Adams’ budget team over the ways federal fiscal policy could impact the city’s bottom line as it prepares to negotiate a spending plan currently topping $115 billion ahead of the July 1 fiscal year. Congress is mulling cuts to Medicaid and stricter SNAP food benefit eligibility that could impact the municipal purse. The federal government’s clamp down on funding for immigration services has already left a multimillion-dollar void in the upcoming spending plan. And Adams’ Budget Director Jacques Jiha noted Wednesday that steel tariffs stand to drive up the cost of major infrastructure projects like the $16 billion effort to build four new jails as part of a plan to close Rikers Island. There’s more. But the Adams administration isn’t eager to talk about it. Jiha said the city can’t promise it could backfill all potential impacts with city funds. “More importantly, we don't want to send a signal to Washington that they could cut our budget with impunity.” — Jeff Coltin & Joe Anuta SO *THAT’S* WHAT ALL THE FEES ARE FOR: Airbnb’s super PAC Affordable New York has started buying ads boosting City Council candidates, reporting just over $706,000 in spending so far. Council Member Kevin Riley, who’s facing a primary challenge from former Council Member Andy King, is the first to benefit. King was expelled from the council in 2021 over ethics violations. Campaign Finance Board filings report the entire spend is going to boost Riley, but a rep for Airbnb said it was a quirk with the reporting and that the $706,000 would be spread among more candidates. Riley is a co-sponsor of an Airbnb-backed bill that would make way for short-term rentals in one- and two-family homes. Airbnb has seeded its PAC with $5 million and told the Post it planned to play in more than a dozen council primaries. Affordable New York is the first independent expenditure committee to report spending in the 2025 cycle, but many millions of dollars are expected to pour into contests including the mayoral race. — Jeff Coltin More from the city: — New Yorkers are filing more complaints about crime than they have in a decade, despite figures showing major crimes like robberies, rapes and murders are down. (Gothamist) — As many top Democrats stay silent on Cuomo’s mayoral run, the first woman to accuse him of sexual harassment, Lindsey Boylan, feels betrayed. (The Associated Press) — Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem took a camera-ready tour to the Coney Island subway station where a migrant was accused of torching a sleeping homeless woman. (New York Post)
| | | | CALIFORNIA DECODED: The technology industry and its key characters are driving the national political narrative right now, but it is also a uniquely California story. To understand how the Golden State is defining tech policy and politics within its borders and beyond, we’ve launched POLITICO Pro Technology: California Decoded. This new daily newsletter will track how industry players in Silicon Valley are trying to influence state and national lawmakers – and how government officials are encouraging or foiling those figures. Sign up now to get a limited, free trial of this newsletter delivered straight to your inbox. | | | | | | | NEW FROM PLANET ALBANY | | | 
Republican lawmakers warned against using a payroll tax to help fund the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. | Spencer Platt/Getty Images | TAXING TIMES: Republican lawmakers warned Wednesday against using a politically risky payroll tax to help the Metropolitan Transportation Authority close a $33 billion budget shortfall. “New Yorkers are sick and tired of being the ‘go to’ solution when the MTA needs more money,” said Sen. Dean Murray, a Long Island Republican. “Rather than taxing jobs, hurting businesses and regressing back to the full implementation of an extremely unpopular tax, the MTA should be looking within and cleaning up its own fiscal backyard.” Suburban voters revolted in 2010 after state officials approved a payroll tax hike in order to bolster the MTA’s finances. The result? Democrats lost control of the state Senate. The stakes are potentially higher in 2026 as House Republicans try to retain their narrow majority in the chamber, an effort that will hinge on keeping GOP-held seats in the Hudson Valley and on Long Island. So that’s why Republicans have pushed back hard against the congestion pricing toll program as well as any measures that could lead to tax hikes for suburban voters. Democrats also know the payroll tax hike is not an attractive political option to fill the MTA’s coffers. But the MTA’s shortfall remains a problem that Hochul and state lawmakers need to solve this year. The governor has repeatedly pledged to not raise taxes. But for now, the governor hasn’t revealed how she wants to close the gap. — Nick Reisman ATTORNEY GENERAL STRIKES AGAIN: New York State Attorney General Letitia James is pushing back on the Trump administration’s efforts to do away with diversity, equity and inclusion policies. James led a coalition of 14 attorneys general in issuing guidance Wednesday to K-12 schools, colleges and universities reiterating the benefits — and legality — of diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility policies in education. The coalition included California, New Jersey, Connecticut and Delaware. The attorney general said the guidance is a response to concerns institutions raised in the wake of executive orders from Trump and a Feb. 14 “Dear Colleague” letter from Trump’s Department of Education threatening schools that continue to uphold such policies. The federal Education Department put out a follow-up FAQ last week that seemed to soften the agency’s position on programs it could deem illegal. “The administration cannot ban diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility efforts with a ‘Dear Colleague’ letter,” James said in a statement. “Schools and educational institutions can rest assured that they are well within their legal rights to continue building inclusive learning environments for their students. My office will always stand up for the rule of law and defend New Yorkers from threats.” — Madina Touré More from Albany: — The union that represents corrections officers says the state ignored warning signs ahead of the wildcat strikes. (Buffalo News) — New York officials are pushing cable provider Optimum to provide refunds after the Rangers and Knicks were off the air due to a carriage fight. (LoHud) — The General Services Administration briefly listed Albany’s federal office building for sale. (Times Union)
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The House Republicans’ campaign arm mislabeled Rep. Adriano Espaillat as an illegal immigrant. | Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images | ATTACK ON ADRIANO: The House Republicans’ campaign arm mislabeled Rep. Adriano Espaillat an illegal immigrant Wednesday in a social media post that knocked his Spanish-language response to Trump’s joint address to Congress. Espaillat, who emigrated from the Dominican Republic, is the first formerly undocumented immigrant to be elected to Congress. The Manhattan and Bronx Democrat now has legal status and U.S. citizenship. “Democrats literally chose an illegal immigrant to give their response to President Trump's address,” read a National Republican Congressional Committee post on X. “Predictably, this radical called Trump's presidency a ‘reign of terror.’ Democrats couldn't be more disconnected from the American people.” Some Democrats leapt to Espaillat’s defense. “These people are disgusting,” posted House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. “Congressman Espaillat has more patriotism and love for this country in his lapel pin than you racist clowns ever will,” posted Rep. Dan Goldman. Still, some in the minority party have also taken aim at Elon Musk’s roots in South Africa as they blast the billionaire’s outsized role in Trump’s administration and his reshaping of the federal government. Rep. Nydia Velázquez even demanded that Musk “go back” to his home country. “Democrats caring more about policing words and fighting facts instead of policing our border and fighting crime shows just how out of touch they are,” said NRCC spokesperson Mike Marinella. — Emily Ngo JOINT SESSION REQUEST: Rep. Mike Lawler got face time with Trump after the president’s prime-time address to Congress on Tuesday. And the battleground Republican used the precious seconds to boost the cause for which he has become the face. “I told him ‘good job’ and reminded him that we need to get SALT,” Lawler told Playbook on Wednesday of his aisle encounter with Trump as the president exited his speech to praise from GOP lawmakers. “And he said, ‘We’re going to get you a win on that,’” added Lawler of the Hudson Valley. The scrapping of the cap on SALT, or the state and local tax deduction, which is critical to homeowners in states like New York and California, has been a central sticking point in Republicans’ fight to extend Trump’s 2017 tax legislation. What a “win” looks like is far from clear. New York Democrats, including Hochul and Rep. Tom Suozzi, want a full repeal of the cap. Republicans have managed expectations and indicated it’s more realistic that the cap be raised. How high and where the cost will be shifted remains to be determined. — Emily Ngo More from Congress: — House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries sidestepped questions about Democratic lawmakers’ efforts to disrupt Trump’s speech to Congress. (POLITICO) — New York leaders vowed to protect CHIPS Act investments amid Trump’s call for funding cuts. (WRGB) — Malliotakis is working to pass legislation to end the government testing on animals for medically unnecessary procedures. (Staten Island Advance)
| | NEW YORK STATE OF MIND | | — A New York judge ruled the state’s renewable tax law is unconstitutional. (POLITICO Pro) — The MTA is trying to find fixes for spotty mobile phone coverage. (Newsday) — A new state order could spare rent stabilized apartments from water fees. (Gothamist)
| | SOCIAL DATA | | Edited by Daniel Lippman MAKING MOVES: Former Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-N.Y.) is joining Modern Fortis as a senior adviser, where he’ll advise the lobbying firm’s public safety clients as well as tech companies partnering with law enforcement and those working on other public safety and security initiatives. … Tara Burchmore is now a government affairs associate at Robinhood Markets. She was most recently a TechCongress fellow for Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.). … Eli Valentin has been promoted to assistant dean of graduate and leadership studies at Virginia Union University’s graduate center in New York. MAKING MOVIES: ‘Anora’ Oscars sweep puts ‘iconic’ Brooklyn neighborhoods Coney Island, Brighton Beach in the spotlight: ‘Recognition it deserves’ (New York Post) MEDIAWATCH: Political Number Cruncher FiveThirtyEight To Be Shuttered Amid Disney Layoffs (HuffPost) TOP-ED: “Want to Fix the Subway? Stop Asking It To Be What It’s Not,” by Sarah Feinberg in Vital City HAPPY BIRTHDAY: State Sens. Shelley Mayer and Kevin Parker …NYC HPD Commissioner Adolfo Carrión Jr. … Assemblymember William Colton … JFREJ’s Alicia Singham Goodwin … Hollis Public Affairs’ Andrew Manshel … former Fed Chair Alan Greenspan (99) … NYT’s Eileen Murphy … John Stossel … Kara Carscaden … Brooke Gladstone … NFL’s Brendon Plack … Natalie Lazaroff Missed Wednesday’s New York Playbook PM? We forgive you. Read it here.
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