Next year, New York City Mayor Eric Adams is expected to run for re-election. If he does decided to run for a second term, he will be a heavy favorite, but that doesn’t mean he won’t have any competition.
On May 9, 2024, New York State Senator Zellnor Myrie formed an exploratory committee with the intention of running to become mayor of the state’s biggest city. While a recent poll found that 82% of Democrats weren’t familiar with the Brooklyn-born lawmaker, he isn’t deterred. Raised by Costa Rican parents in Flatbush, the former City Council staffer worked as an attorney before entering the world of politics.
“Some of the issues that I had been facing since I was very young, like rent regulation, like money for our schools, thinking about what the future of our climate is going to be – these were things that were stalling in Albany, and I felt that we did not have the adequate representation,” Myrie said about his motivation to run for office.
First elected to the New York State Senate in 2018, Myrie represents the state’s 20th state senate district. He has supported legalization to ban most evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic and authored the Community Violence Intervention Act. Now, he’s turning his attention toward his hometown as Eric Adams nears the final year of his term.
“We wanted to see him succeed,” the state senator said about Adams.
“But what we have seen, unfortunately, is a fumbling of the basics of government.”
Myrie hasn’t officially launched his campaign, but he’s already picking up support from some in the city.
“He’s able to really stand up for progressive issues, but also work pretty well with some of his more real estate-friendly colleagues,” Housing Justice for All Director Cea Weaver said.
“That means that he is a tremendous asset when he chooses to use his voice, but it also means that he’s pretty choosy about when he (does).”
With that said, Myrie does have his fair share of critics as well. Most point to the state senator’s lack of executive experience, serving five years in the state senate.
“It’s hard for him to talk about competency to manage when he’s never managed anything,” Democratic political consultant Hank Sheinkopf told City & State New York.
However, Myrie argues that he offers a new perspective that will create positive change.
“What has that experience gotten us? A city where the median rent is $3,700. A city where it costs $20,000 for child care. A city where we’ve seen an exodus over the past 20 years of close to 200,000 Black New Yorkers,” he explained to City & State New York.
“(New Yorkers) want something fresh, they want new leadership.”
