Eric Adams backs Harris as Democratic nominee

NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Eric Adams endorsed the presidential campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris Monday, adding to the growing chorus supporting her bid.

“I think she is the voice that the party needs right now,” the Democratic mayor said during an appearance on Morning Joe.

Adams, a retired police captain, cited Harris' history as a California prosecutor and her ability to staunch Democrats’ loss of Black and Latino voters as leading reasons she should become the party’s nominee in the matchup with former President Donald Trump in November. (Harris is of Black and South Asian descent.)

“We’re hemorrhaging African Americans. We’re hemorrhaging Hispanic voters. We’re hemorrhaging those working class people who don’t realize the Democratic Party has a good product,” said Adams, who is a delegate for the party.

It was a shift from Sunday night when the New York City mayor declined to back Harris hours after President Joe Biden terminated his reelection campaign and endorsed his second in command.

Adams, while expressing support for Biden’s now-defunct presidential bid, has repeatedly clashed with the White House over its response to the migrant crisis — an issue Harris directly oversaw.

The bitterness between the two administrations over the influx of asylum seekers became so pronounced that Biden’s campaign dropped Adams as a top surrogate.

Speaking to a reporter Monday , Adams said he came around to Harris after chatting with Democratic leaders including Jay Jacobs, head of the New York State Democratic Party, and was open to helping in whatever capacity the Harris campaign might need.

"I'm a soldier," Adams said. "I do whatever the general tells me to do."