New York City Mayor Eric Adams’s approval rating reached a record-low 28 percent in a poll released Wednesday.
The Quinnipiac University poll comes as the mayor struggles to overcome a corruption scandal surrounding his campaign, a sexual assault allegation, deep city budget cuts and an influx of immigration, which he said will “destroy” the city.
Only 28 percent of poll respondents approve of Adams’s mayoral tenure, with 58 percent disapproving. That’s the lowest approval Quinnipiac has tracked, going back to when its polling began in 1996.
“There’s no good news for Mayor Adams in this poll,” Quinnipiac assistant polling director Mary Snow said. “Not only are voters giving him poor grades on the job he’s doing at City Hall, their views on his character have dimmed.”
The campaign investigation alleges Adams facilitated illegal donations from interests in Turkey. The home of a top aide was raided by the FBI early last month, and Adams’s personal electronics were seized for evidence. He has not been directly accused of wrongdoing and has denied the allegations.
He has also denied a sexual assault allegation made late last month from a former colleague, who said she was assaulted while they worked together in 1993. Adams denied knowing the accuser.
New York voters have little faith in Adams, according to the poll, with only 32 percent of respondents describing him as honest and trustworthy and 40 percent saying he has good leadership qualities.
Nearly 60 percent of poll respondents said the sexual assault allegations are either very or somewhat serious, and just more than a third of respondents said they believe Adams is being truthful in his response to the situation.
Adams’s bumpy tenure has been marred by fights with the White House over immigration policy; Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-N.Y.) have pressured President Biden to provide more assistance for the state to help handle waves of migrants.
The mayor has directly pushed back on Biden, calling White House policy on the issue “wrong.” Adams and Hochul have urged the Biden administration to fast-track work permits for migrants in the state.
Poll respondents shared Adams’s concerns, as about 80 percent of respondents were either very or somewhat concerned about the influx of migrants into New York City. A similar 80 percent said they don’t believe the federal government is doing enough to help the state.
The Quinnipiac poll surveyed about 1,300 New York City residents last week, with a margin of error of about 2.7 percent.