Election 2022: Adams endorses Hochul in NY governor's race

NEW YORK - Appearing at a campaign rally with members of some major labor unions, New York City Mayor Eric Adams endorsed New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday, praising her as "an amazing governor" who deserves a full term.

Adams, a centrist Democrat like Hochul, told supporters at a Manhattan union hall that voters need someone who can "get stuff done in the state of New York." He praised Hochul for securing funding for several programs that he said are helping residents in the city, including increasing the earned income tax credit, subsidies for childcare, and investments in NYCHA, the city's public housing agency. 

"Some people think it is amazing that the mayor and the governor of New York can get along as well and do so much together. The governor and I, we're not surprised," Adams said. "We sat down and stated, 'What are your priorities? What's important to you?' And we saw how much we were aligned. And that alignment, the foundation of that alignment, is protecting working New Yorkers."

In thanking the mayor for his endorsement, the governor said "relationships in government matter" and also alluded to Andrew Cuomo's well-known feuds with officials in his own party, including then-Mayor Bill de Blasio, Adams' predecessor. 

"Relationships matter, and I have some repairing to do even when I went to Albany. People weren't expecting a governor to say: here's some money how can we collectively decide to spend to help lift our constituents up. They were shocked," Hochul said. "That's the new day in New York and working with Mayor Adams, we can get so much more done for people. This is not about our own egos. This is about lifting people up."

Hochul, the former lieutenant governor, is running to keep the job she has held since August 2021 when Cuomo resigned amid allegations of sexual harassment, which he has denied. She faces New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and Rep. Tom Suozzi of Long Island in the June 28 Democratic primary.

"And that's why I'm energized and honored to have the support of Mayor Adams as we go forth with your energy, your boots on the ground, your power unleashed in the next election on June 28th," Hochul told union members in the room, "and onward to November, when we say to Republicans at a time when they're trying to take away women's rights and make decision about their bodies, 'You will not get a stronghold in the state of New York.'"

With The Associated Press.