Mayor Adams has abandoned his effort to appear on two ballot lines — “EndAntiSemitism” and “Safe & Affordable”— in November’s mayoral election, opting to run only on the latter.
For months, the city’s Board of Elections told Adams he couldn’t as an independent candidate appear on more than one line on November’s ballot. Adams’ campaign contended the board was wrong and that he could appear on both columns, even saying the mayor was exploring legal action to try to force the panel to let him lock in the two lines.
However, in a previously undisclosed Aug. 22 letter to the board, Adams campaign attorney Vito Pitta wrote that the mayor — who made combating antisemitism and support for Israel early focuses of his long-shot reelection bid — is settling for the “Safe & Affordable” line to comply with the board’s determination.
“Please let this letter confirm that Mayor Adams has chosen to be identified as the nominee of the ‘Safe & Affordable’ independent body on the ‘Safe & Affordable’ ballot line and wishes to appear under a ‘Safe & Affordable’ column,” Pitta wrote in the missive, a copy of which was obtained by the Daily News.
Pitta’s letter didn’t mention anything about legal action. The letter did say Adams hopes the board can, “to the extent practicable under the Election Law and board policies and procedures,” allow the “EndAntiSemitism” moniker to be listed under his name in one spot on the ballot, as opposed to appearing as its own line.
Vincent Ignizio, the board’s deputy executive director, said that request is expected to be granted.
Todd Shapiro, Adams’ campaign spokesman, didn’t immediately return a request for comment Monday.
The ballot pick revelations come as sources say Adams is considering dropping out of the mayoral race to take a job in President Trump’s administration, potentially a foreign ambassadorship. Adams hasn’t denied conversations about a potential Trump job may be taking place, but insists he’s staying in the mayoral race.
Still reeling from his corruption indictment, which Trump’s administration dismissed as part of a controversial deal, Adams is polling as third or fourth in the mayoral field, and the president is believed to want the embattled incumbent to drop out to increase ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s chances of beating Democratic front-runner Zohran Mamdani in November.
Cuomo himself has rejected that idea, saying Trump actually wants Mamdani to win to give Trump leverage in asserting federal authority in New York.
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