DC 37, New York City’s largest municipal union, is endorsing City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams as its top pick for mayor, giving her a big boost as her campaign has struggled to gain momentum since she launched her run last month.
The powerful union, which represents about 150,000 active city workers and nearly 90,000 retirees, is also urging members to rank Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani No. 2 and Brooklyn state Sen. Zellnor Myrie No. 3 on their Democratic mayoral primary ballots in June.
“We’re proud to endorse these pro-worker candidates in the June primary and look forward to getting out the vote in support of their campaigns,” DC 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido said in a statement late Tuesday. “At a time when workers’ rights are being ripped apart at the federal level, it’s more important than ever to elect local candidates who will fight for working families and the services we all rely on.”
The speaker’s campaign didn’t immediately return a request for comment. Garrido and other DC 37 leaders were expected to elaborate on the endorsements at a news conference Wednesday.
DC 37 is known to mount extensive get-out-the-vote efforts for its preferred candidates, and also boost them by spending money on ads, mailers and other political materials.
The endorsement couldn’t have come at a better time.
Though well-known in City Hall circles, Speaker Adams (D-Queens) has struggled to break through on the citywide level since she announced her campaign in early March.
Surveys of June’s mayoral primary have generally shown her hovering around the 5% support mark, trailing far behind former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has consistently polled as the favorite to win, and Mamdani, who is generally ranking as the runnerup.
The endorsement also sets DC 37 apart from other powerhouse unions in the city that have endorsed Cuomo for mayor in the June 24 Democratic primary.
That includes 32 BJ and the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council, both of which endorsed Cuomo as their sole pick for mayorthis month.
Cuomo, who resigned as governor in 2021 amid sexual misconduct accusations that he denies, had sought the DC 37 endorsement as well.
DC 37 officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Daily News late Tuesday that the union, in part, opted against ranking Cuomo due to how he as governor in the early 2010s pushed to raise the state’s retirement age and cut some benefits for public sector retirees. The endorsement could be a risky move for DC 37 leaders, who’d have to negotiate contracts for its members with Cuomo’s administration should he be elected mayor.
The endorsement rankings from DC 37 also dealt a blow to city Comptroller Brad Lander, who has polled as the No. 3 candidate in most recent surveys.
Mayor Adams had sought the DC 37 nod, too.
But he dropped out of the Democratic primary this month in favor of seeking reelection as an independent in November’s general election, a decision political observers say leaves him with an implausible path to victory. He made the decision to drop out after President Trump’s Justice Department secured a controversial dismissal of his corruption indictment that many say has left him beholden to Trump’s agenda.
The mayor, who denies a quid pro quo with Trump, relied heavily on endorsements from DC 37, 32 BJ and the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council in his successful 2021 mayoral campaign.
In one of June’s high-stakes down-ballot races, DC 37 endorsed Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine for city comptroller over Brooklyn Councilman Justin Brannan. It’s also endorsing city Public Advocate Jumaane Williams’ bid for reelection over Queens Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar.
Originally Published:
