The mayoral race in New York continues with more than ten Democrats and two Republicans competing for the position. A recent poll suggests that Brooklyn borough president, Eric Adams is in the lead, but according to a nonprofit news outlet, he may have some skeletons in his closet.

Mayoral Race in New York Continues

Democrats and Republicans are in the mayoral election race for New York City this year. After the primaries which are set for June 22, the general election will be held on November 2. Among the mayoral candidates, we find Brooklyn borough president Eric Adams, former presidential candidate Andrew Yang, as well as Kathryn Garcia, who is a former commissioner of the NYC Department of Sanitation.

Former Manhattan borough president Scott Stringer, Maya Wiley formerly chair of the NYC Civilian Complaint Review Board, and Dianne Morales, former CEO of a non-profit social services organization are also in the race for mayor. Considering that more than ten Democratic Party candidates and two Republican Party members are running for mayor, undoubtedly an intense election is ahead.

According to a new Spectrum News NY1/Ipsos poll that surveyed more than 900 Democratic voters, Adams is now leading in the race against Yang by six points in the Democratic primary for mayor. While in a previous poll in April, Yang led with 22% to 13% for Adams, now, the tables have turned and Adams now leads with 22% to 16% for Yang. Additionally, based on the poll results, Garcia reached the top 3 with 15% support, marking an increase of 11 points since the poll in April. Next in line is Stringer with 10% support, followed by Wiley with 9%, and Morales with 5% support, based on the poll results.

Is Adams Hiding Any Skeletons in the Closet?

Currently, Adams is serving as a Brooklyn borough president. Before that, he was a New York state senator for four terms. In 2006 Adams retired as a police officer from the New York Police Department. While he was still a police officer, he was leading an activist group dubbed 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care.

Back in 2009, Adams served as a chair of the state Senate’s Racing and Wagering Committee. During that time, a corruption investigation was launched by state inspector general Joseph Fisch, according to the nonprofit media outlet The City. The event dates back to Adams’ 49th birthday party in 2009 that coincided with a fundraiser.

During the fundraiser, allegedly Adams received checks for his reelection campaign by one of the bidders aiming to run a casino at Queens’ Aqueduct Racetrack. After that Aqueduct Entertainment Group (AEG) was the bidder that was picked by the Senate and received approval of David Paterson, who was acting governor at the time. When Adams was asked by IG Fisch whether any of the bidders have attended the fundraiser, he claimed that it was possible, but he wasn’t sure.

Addressing the investigation and the claims last week, Adams stressed that he always held himself to “the highest ethical standards“. Furthermore, he said that with the process he “yielded millions-of-dollars a year” for schools and thousands of jobs in New York. Last but not least, Adams said that IG’s report was “full of inaccuracies and errors” and claimed that this diversion was orchestrated by Republicans in light of the upcoming elections.