City Comptroller Brad Lander announced Tuesday he’s running against Mayor Adams in next year’s primary election, making him the first candidate to officially declare a challenge against the incumbent mayor and teeing up an unusual matchup between two high-profile elected officials.
Lander, a progressive Democrat who has been a consistent critic of the more moderate mayor since he took office, said in an interview with the Daily News that he’s running because he doesn’t believe Adams is focused on improving quality of life in the city. Specifically, Lander said the mayor has displayed that by engaging in what he called a “phony budget dance” with the City Council this year, slashing funding for key city agencies like the Parks Department and the public library systems, resulting in drastic service cuts, only to reverse those reductions months later.
“Mayor Adams promised to get stuff done, but he’s not getting stuff done that really matters to New Yorkers,” Lander said, taking a shot at the mayor’s signature “get stuff done” mantra.
Lander’s entry into the 2025 race comes months after former city Comptroller Scott Stringer and Brooklyn state Sen. Zellnor Myrie both announced they’re also considering runs against Adams.
It remains to be seen whether other candidates may join the fray, too, as former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Queens state Sen. Jessica Ramos and Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani have been rumored to be weighing 2025 bids of their own.
In a campaign video detailing his announcement, Lander argued the city’s current leadership is delivering “so little for so few” and mentioned keeping libraries open and driving down child-care costs as key focuses of his run for mayor. The references to libraries and child care are not-so-subtle jabs at Adams, whose budget cuts resulted in the elimination of early-childhood education seats and the city’s three public library systems being forced to end Sunday service at dozens of branches across the five boroughs.
A spokesman for Adams’ political operation declined to comment Tuesday, but passed along a statement from U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks, the boss of the Queens Democratic Party, questioning the timing of Lander’s announcement.
“I don’t know why we’re talking about an election against the mayor at all — never mind while we’re trying to win one against Donald Trump,” Meeks’ statement said.
Later in the day, Adams reacted to Lander’s campaign launch.
“I thought his announcement was to go to assist the first woman of color to be the president of the United States, not take the second man of color from being the mayor of the City of New York,” the mayor told reporters, referring to Vice President Kamala Harris.
It’s unusual for an incumbent New York City mayor to face multiple primary challenges, but political analysts say Adams is vulnerable, with sharply low approval numbers. The budget cuts and an array of federal and state investigations into his campaign fundraising operations and close associates have been cited as reasons.
Still, the mayor has a heavy fundraising advantage over Lander and his other potential challengers.
Adams has amassed a reelection war chest topping $3 million, with advisers saying that puts him on track to reach the max fundraising threshold allowed by law by the end of this year. He’s also expected to enjoy the support of key labor unions in the city.
Lander has only $156,512 in his comptroller campaign account and raised a modest $197,810 in the most recent reporting period, compared with the $1.1 million Adams received in the same span. Lander can use the money he has raised for his comptroller account on his mayoral bid.
In his interview with The News, Lander said he’s confident he’ll reach the $8 million fundraising threshold by early next year when public matching funds are factored in. He also said his nascent campaign is planning a big fundraising drive through the fall.
“We’ll be having house parties all over the city,” he said.
Beyond their ideological differences, Lander and Adams have clashed along personal lines. Last summer, the mayor made fun of Lander’s voice and called him the “loudest person in the city.”
“The mayor has needlessly been combative not just with me, but with the Council, with the speaker and many other elected officials and New Yorkers,” Lander said of the mayor’s rhetoric.
In his role as comptroller, Lander serves as a foil against Adams as his job involves auditing his administration’s agencies and reviewing its contracts. Lander hasn’t shied away from taking politically heated stands, including by refusing to register a $432 million contract the mayor’s administration awarded to a controversial company that’s helping the city provide services for newly arrived migrants.
Lander said he’s going to remain focused on his current job while running for mayor, but notably declined to endorse any particular candidate to replace him.
He also declined to rule out shifting gears and running for reelection as comptroller should his mayoral campaign not pan out as planned.
Queens Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar, a key ally of the mayor who has announced a 2025 campaign for comptroller, took a shot at Lander for not making such a commitment.
“I call on Comptroller Lander to assure New Yorkers that he is fully committed to his mayoral campaign and will not disgrace his office by reverting back to a comptroller campaign as a backup plan,” Rajkumar said in a statement. “New Yorkers deserve leaders who are steadfast in their ambition.”
