In 2025 mayoral race, Trump backlash isn't a given this time

Before this week, the challengers to Mayor Eric Adams weren’t climbing over each other to occupy the progressive lane in the competitive Democratic primary. In the months leading up to the presidential election, some observers predicted that contenders might claim that mantel more assuredly if Donald Trump prevailed and set off another jolt of Democratic energy like New York saw in 2018.

But in the immediate aftermath of President-elect Donald Trump’s victory on Tuesday – and his across the board gains in New York City – the candidates making their rounds at Somos aren’t positioning themselves as “progressive” alternatives to Trump, and some observers suggested another blue wave is not guaranteed.

The Democratic primary next June is far from set. Five candidates have mounted serious campaigns at this point, though that field is still in flux. The corruption case against Adams – which put the possibility of a special election on the table, along with candidates including Jumaane Williams and Attorney General Letitia James – is itself in flux, as Trump could effectively wipe away Adams’ legal troubles.

The 2025 mayoral race will be one of the first tests for how New York Democrats confront a rightward shift in a reliably blue city. Gains for Trump were seen across all five boroughs, but were particularly pronounced in working class, immigrant and communities of color in southern Brooklyn, and parts of Queens and the Bronx.



https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2024/11/2025-mayoral-race-trump-backlash-isnt-given-time/400965/?oref=csny-category-lander-featured-river