Cuomo heads field of possible Adams successors: poll

Metro

By Rich Calder

Most Big Apple voters want Mayor Adams to resign if he’s indicted in an ongoing federal investigation targeting his 2021 campaign, a new poll shows.

And if Adams were to leave office early, ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo — who resigned two years ago amid a slew of sexual harassment allegations — would be the top choice to replace him, according to political consulting firm Slingshot Strategies’ survey released Saturday.

The poll found Cuomo – who is reportedly eying a political comeback – would be the top candidate in a hypothetical nonpartisan special election at 22%.

He’d be followed by fellow Dems, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams (15%) and former Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia (12%).

Another 36% were undecided, and the rest backed other possible candidates.

Of note, the poll shows Cuomo cruising to victory under rank-choice voting rules, crushing Williams 64%-36% in a final runoff.

Neither Adams nor anyone else has been charged with any wrongdoing in the FBI investigation into whether the mayor’s campaign profited from illegal donations funneled through Turkey.

However, if indicted by prosecutors, the poll of 600 voters conducted Dec. 1-Dec. 9 found that 52% would want Adams to resign, while 38% believe he should stay in office as the legal process plays out.

Slingshot released its findings three days after Quinnipiac University released a poll showing Adams’ approval rating had dropped to a meager 28% — the lowest ever recorded for a New York City mayor by the university since it began querying Big Apple voters a quarter century ago.

Deputy Mayor Fabien Levy brushed off Slingshot’s poll results, saying “When political opportunists can’t win at the ballot box or in a court of law, they try to win in the court of public opinion by spreading lies.”

“Mayor Adams was voted into office to fight for working New Yorkers — and he will keep fighting for them as mayor no matter what any wildly skewed polls or his political opponents say, and no matter what other arrow of injustice is aimed his way,” he added. “Attempting to tear down the city’s second black mayor for blatant political purposes is shameful.”