Adams on NYC results: ‘I am the face of the new Democratic Party’

New York City mayoral candidate Eric Adams (D), who has maintained a sizable lead as more results come in from this week’s Democratic primary, declared Thursday that he is “the face of the new Democratic Party,” offering a warning to the party as it looks to defend its majority in Congress in the 2022 midterm elections.

Adams, the current Brooklyn borough president, told reporters in a press conference that “no one is going to give more to this city than I am,” adding, “We’re so much better than what we’re seeing.” 

The candidate, who held roughly 32 percent of the vote in the Democratic mayoral race as of Thursday afternoon, framed himself as a moderate candidate with a goal to curb the city’s rising violent crime, while pushing back on calls to “defund the police” from more liberal party members.

“I am the face of the new Democratic Party,” Adams stated Thursday. 

“Look at me, and you’re seeing the future of the Democratic Party,” he added in his remarks, footage of which was shared on Twitter by local news station NY1. 

“If the Democratic Party fails to recognize what he did here in New York, then they’re going to have a problem in the midterm elections, and they’re going to have a problem in the presidential elections,” Adams continued. 

The primary race for mayor has not been called yet, but @ericadamsfornyc comfortably in the lead already has a message for Democrats across the country. Politics is a full contact sport and Adams appears ready to hit: https://t.co/UlLnQWvMvU pic.twitter.com/YHw1cbf9rI

— Gloria Pazmino (@GloriaPazmino) June 24, 2021

The former New York City police captain said that the results of the mayoral primary race show that “America is saying, ‘We want to have justice, and safety and end inequalities.’”

“We don’t want fancy candidates; that nails are not polished, they have calluses on their hands and they’re blue-collared people that understand a blue-collared country,” he said. “That’s what we want.” 

After someone could be heard heckling Adams, the candidate seemingly commented on the pushback, saying while smiling, “And I like that too, because you know what? New Yorkers are gritty.”

“So, I like the protests, I like the excitement, I like the boos, I like the cheers, I like all of that,” he added.

The commentary from Adams comes as Democrats are looking to improve their slim majority in the House, as well as improve their lead in the 50-50 Senate, where Vice President Harris holds the chamber’s tie-breaking vote. 

Democrats are also looking to keep President Biden in the White House in 2024, when he is likely to face opposition from a slew of potential Republican candidates, including from former President Trump himself, who has indicated he is considering launching another White House bid. 

Adams’s criticism of the movement to slash police funding has mirrored similar rebukes from other more moderate figures in the party, with lawmakers like House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) arguing that the movement cost Democrats seats in 2020.