New York City Mayor Eric Adams made clear he wasn’t going anywhere on Wednesday after news broke that he was being indicted on federal corruption charges.
“If I am charged, I am innocent, and I will fight this with every ounce of my strength and spirit,” he said in a statement.
Adams can still serve his position while under federal indictment.
The only person who can replace Adams is Gov. Kathy Hochul. She has the power of New York governor to take the extraordinary action to remove him from office before his term is up.
But a source told The Post there is no chance Hochul would make that move.
If Adams were to leave office early, he would be replaced by lefty Public Advocate Jumaane Williams if he were to leave office following his federal indictment.
If Adams were to vacate office, Williams, a progressive Democrat who has been the public advocate since 2019, would take over as acting mayor and be in charge of setting the date for a special election.
The next in line after Williams is Comptroller Brad Lander, a Democrat and Adams’ rival running for mayor next year.
The special election would only be set if it’s 90 days before the upcoming primary election that’s on June 24, 2025, an election lawyer told The Post.
Williams would need to mark a date for a special election on the first Tuesday at least 80 days from when he assumed power, according to the city charter.
A special election would be non-partisan, and there would be no primaries. Candidates would appear on the ballot without party affiliation.
Follow the latest on the FBI raids of Adams administration officials:
- FBI raids NYC homes of two top Mayor Adams aides, Sheena Wright and Phil Banks
- Feds raid home of NYPD Commish Edward Caban, other close Adams allies
- Home of top NYC Mayor Eric Adams aide Winnie Greco raided by FBI: sources
- Additional FBI raids revealed in Eric Adams campaign fundraising probe
- Adams’ chief fundraiser raided by FBI over alleged kickback scheme involving Turkish government
Adams, who was sworn in at the start of 2022, is facing a tough reelection fight with a number of candidates jumping into the primary next June.
Additional reporting by Craig McCarthy.