Mayor Eric Adams petitions to run on 'EndAntiSemitism' ballot line

NEW YORK - Mayor Eric Adams is petitioning to appear on two new ballot lines for the upcoming general election — "EndAntiSemitism" and "Safe&Affordable."

What we know:

Adams' campaign attorney Vito Pitta confirmed to Politico that the mayor is gathering signatures to establish the two ballot lines. He must secure 3,750 valid voter signatures for each line by May 27.

Orthodox Jewish political consultant Ezra Friedlander said Adams "deserves our praise, full stop" on the issue of antisemitism. Adams has maintained strong support among Orthodox Jewish communities since his narrow Democratic primary victory in 2021.

The backstory:

Earlier this month, Adams announced that he would not seek the Democratic Party's nomination for Mayor of New York City and would instead run as an independent.

"Today, although I am still a Democrat, I am announcing that I will forgo the Democratic primary for mayor and appeal directly to all New Yorkers as an independent candidate in the general election," Adams said in a post on X. 

The announcement came after a federal judge throw out a corruption indictment against Adams.

According to Politico, the new ballot line also serves as a political maneuver to differentiate Adams from Andrew Cuomo, who is focusing heavily on antisemitism in his own campaign for mayor. Cuomo has previously described antisemitism as "the most serious and most important issue" of his campaign.

Candidates in New York can run on multiple party lines, with votes from all lines totaled together.

Adams had originally floated running on a "Safe Street, Affordable City" line but had to modify the name due to city election board rules limiting party names to 15 characters. Thus, "Safe&Affordable" and "EndAntiSemitism" — each exactly 15 characters — were born.

The other side:

When asked for comment, Cuomo's campaign posted an interview about antisemitism with the Hasidic news outlet Vos Iz Neias.

"New Yorkers are smart," Cuomo campaign spokesperson Rich Azzopardi said, "and they know Andrew Cuomo has the record and the experience to best fight this rise of antisemitic hate that has gripped this city."