Zellner Miley, an Afro-Latinx state senator from Brooklyn known for supporting progressive causes, announced Wednesday that he intends to challenge Mayor Eric Adams in New York City's Democratic primary next year. .
Mr. Miley's announcement is a further indication that Mr. Adams' path to re-election is expected to be more difficult than is typical for New York's Democratic mayors. Mr. Adams, facing record low polling levels and a federal investigation into campaign fundraising, must now face at least two challenges from his own party.
Miley said in an interview that the mayor has shown “incompetence” and that his administration doesn't “completely grasp the fundamentals of how city government should function.” He also criticized the mayor's cuts to libraries, parks and schools, claiming they are forcing families out of the city.
“A lot of New Yorkers I talk to are tired of showmanship,” he says. “What people want to see are results. They want the government to work relentlessly to make this city affordable, safe and livable.”
The 37-year-old Miley, often referred to as “Z,” held a committee meeting on Wednesday and began fundraising for his campaign.
He is part of a new generation of leaders who ousted a moderate Democratic incumbent in Albany in 2018. Although his Senate district is the same as the one previously represented by Adams, the two men have different political stances.
Miley pointed to his track record of building coalitions to pass bills in the state Senate, including a blank bill that sealed many criminal records to give former inmates access to jobs and housing.
But one of his biggest challenges is his lack of name recognition outside of the Crown Heights-Park Slope area. When Mr. Miley visited Harlem's Abyssinian Baptist Church in March – an important stop for politicians of color seeking citywide office – the pastor introduced Mr. Miley as “Zenor Mahy.” .
His colleagues at Albany were quick to praise him, although they were reluctant to take away his chance. State Sen. John Liu, R-Queens, called entering the race “exciting” and said, “Z made the most impressive first impression I've ever had.” . State Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal of Manhattan called him “one of the most serious and thoughtful people in the state Legislature.”
State Sen. Liz Krueger of Manhattan shared her admiration for Miley and, unlike her colleagues, made it clear who she doesn't want to win the election.
“I want a different mayor for New York City — desperately,” she said. “Someone who is capable and actually understands the job.”
Other Democratic candidates are also eyeing the mayoral race, including former City Comptroller Scott Stringer, who formed his own exploratory committee in January. Jessica Ramos, a progressive state senator from Queens; Former Governor Andrew M. Cuomo appears eager to return to politics.
But Mr. Adams has some key advantages, including a huge campaign fund and strong support from major labor unions and power brokers.
Adams, a former police officer who won a close race in 2021 due to his tough-on-crime message, has been increasingly in campaign mode, with many public appearances featuring ” It emphasizes the campaign slogan, “Crime is crime.'' Even if it goes down, jobs will increase. ”
“The mayor's intense focus on public safety has led to lower crime and higher employment,” said Frank Carone, Adams' former chief of staff and current campaign chief. That's why I'm doing it,” he said. “I look forward to continuing to show that to New Yorkers.”
Rep. Rodnese Bichotte-Harmelin, a Democratic leader in Brooklyn and an ally of the mayor, said that under Mr. Adams, black unemployment rates have fallen and test scores have risen, and that working-class New Yorkers in particular have “I will support him in the election,” he said. ”
But there are signs that Adams' foundation is fraying. A Quinnipiac University poll in December gave the mayor his lowest rating since the city began tracking the city in 1996. The mayor also lost support among black and Latino voters. Thirty-eight percent of black voters disapprove of the mayor's job performance, up from 29 percent. Percent in February last year. Sixty-five percent of Latino voters disapprove of the mayor's handling of his job, the highest of any racial/ethnic group.
Given dissatisfaction with Adams' performance and his more conservative stance on criminal justice issues, left-wing Democrats are looking for the candidate they believe is best suited to defeat the mayor in the June primary.
Mr. Miley may check some boxes for left-wing voters. While Adams has been criticized for cutting kindergarten funding, Miley has made “universal afterschool” a key issue. His plan calls for free after-school programs to be offered to all families, starting with each borough's poorest school districts.
Miley said he is less interested in running as a progressive candidate and is more focused on how he can improve the mayor's management of city government. He said Adams created a “feeling of instability” among voters he spoke to when he proposed budget cuts and eventually rolled back some of them. Mr Miley also criticized the mayor's “mishandling” of the city's response to the influx of more than 190,000 asylum seekers, which he said led him to issue some of his own recommendations.
Appearing at Abyssinian Baptist Church, Miley talked about how her mother, an immigrant from Costa Rica, took her to vote for Barack Obama for the first time in 2008, and used the anecdote to discuss voter suppression. Used for provocative remarks.
“Sometimes we think that voter suppression is a relic of the South and just happens in other places,” Miley said, nodding in agreement. “Church, I'm telling you, here in New York, we're purging the voter rolls of people who look like us.”
Mr. Miley's advisers hoped that the positive response from church members (mispronunciations of names would not be tolerated) meant that his appeal needed to reach beyond Brooklyn and tap into Mr. Adams' black base. It was taken as a positive sign that it would spread to certain neighborhoods. and Latino working and middle-class voters.
Mr. Miley is an attorney and longtime advocate for affordable housing and gun control who recently made headlines for trying to stop the closure of the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn. In February, he attended a meeting with Pastor Al Sharpton. and for his support for criminal justice reform, including bail reform efforts, which Adams has opposed.
Last year, Miley married former state representative Diana Richardson. Two people sued police in 2021, claiming they were hit with bicycles and pepper sprayed by police during Black Lives Matter protests in Brooklyn.
Miley said the couple are renters and are worried they won't be able to afford a home. He said he wants the next generation of New Yorkers to live in a more affordable and climate-resilient city with “the best subway system in the world.”
“That's the core of why we're running: providing families with security and opportunities for prosperity, and that's what I want to do as your next mayor,” he said.
Claire Fahey Report from Albany, New York