Marist Poll: Most New Yorkers want Adams to resign

NEW YORK — Seven out of ten New York City adults think Mayor Eric Adams should resign, and just 26 percent approve of the job he’s doing. Two-thirds believe he has done something illegal.

The devastating numbers from a Marist Poll released Friday are the latest sign of just how dire the situation has become for Adams, who was indicted on federal bribery charges last month and whose administration has been caught up in numerous other criminal investigations.

“We have not fully been able to tell our side of the conversation,” Adams told reporters Friday morning when asked about the poll. “Anytime you see what happened last week, there's going to be a natural reaction. I’ve been in this city a long time. And so let the process play out. Let New Yorkers see our response to this whole matter.”

There are no silver linings for the mayor. Democrats disapprove of him just as much as Republicans and independent voters. While Black New Yorkers were key to electing Adams as the city’s second-ever Black mayor in 2021, now just 38 percent approve of the job he’s doing.

Adams’ unpopularity is not new. He was 17 points underwater in a Marist poll taken last November. Adams’ 28 percent approval rating in a December Quinnipiac University poll was at the time the lowest among any New York City mayor since such polling started nearly 30 years ago.

This Marist poll is even worse. Just 25 percent of registered voters approve of the job Adams is doing as mayor, while 74 percent disapprove. Another 1 percent of voters remained undecided.

An Adams adviser who spoke on condition of anonymity admitted the poll was bad news, but noted that it sampled all New York adults, rather than likely voters — whose support Adams would need during a 2025 reelection run.

Adams has resisted calls for his resignation, saying he will “step up” rather than step down. He pleaded not guilty to the federal charges, arguing there was no quid-pro-quo bribery scheme .

Gov. Kathy Hochul has the power to remove a mayor, but has so far pushed Adams to force out controversial appointees caught up in probes, rather than focusing on the mayor himself.

Hochul would have support from New Yorkers if she does decide to move against Adams. The Marist Poll found 63 percent of city adults think she should begin the process of removing him, while 36 percent are against it.

The poll also took a look at former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has been laying the groundwork for a comeback run after he resigned under pressure in 2021. A slight majority of city voters would prefer he stays out of a mayoral race, with 55 percent opposed to him running.

But Cuomo may also find encouragement in some of the numbers. Some 48 percent of Democrats want him to run for mayor, and a majority of Black voters — 54 percent — support a City Hall run.