City Hall
New York City’s unpopular incumbent mayor, Eric Adams, is dealing with allegations of fraudulent signatures on his re-election campaign petition. As an independent candidate in this November election, Adams’ campaign has already amassed about 50,000 signatures. According to a recent investigation, more than 50 of those signatures are fake.
Now that effort’s billion-dollar campaign to collect all those signatures is under fire. Our closer look lists 52 people claiming their signatures were forged on the circulator’s petition. Excluded from this group are three deceased individuals. Additionally, certain signatures show “remarkably identical penmanship,” casting further suspicion on the signatures’ legitimacy.
Adams’ attorney delved deeper into this claim, saying that the mayor did not tell any campaign staffers to break the law. Campaign chairman Tom McMahon stressed that the moment the campaign looks back on its first six months, it isn’t announcing corrective measures or a change in course. Adams’ revelation darkens his hopes for re-election as he faces a deep field of high-profile challengers.
In the general election Adams will go head to head with Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic Party’s candidate for the Assembly seat. He’ll face off against former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, Republican challenger Curtis Sliwa, and former prosecutor Jim Walden. The mix each candidate brings their own challenges and points of view, complicating the multi-dimensional race even further.
Our legal expert Jerry Goldfeder warned against this game. He continued, “Every now and again, somebody tries to cheat a little bit. They end up getting caught, and those cases are typically sent to the district attorney or the U.S. attorney for prosecution.”
Critics have panned the petition effort. According to news reports, one would-be campaign worker collected more than 700 signatures in a single day. These irregularities have raised alarm bells on the ill-fated, often-chaotic, signature gathering process. It’s no wonder that voters are beginning to wonder if there’s really some grass roots support for Adams’ candidacy.
As we head into this crucial election, Adams’ signature scandal might have more to say about how public opinion turns against or in favor of Adams and his campaign. With his opponents already seizing on this controversy, it’s a make or break moment for the incumbent mayor.