By Ginger Adams Otis

New York City's mayoral race is operating under the shadow of a politician from Queens: Donald Trump.

With less than a month to go until the Democratic primary on June 24, the Republican president's name is on the lips of its candidates as much as any of the issues affecting the city.

Trump's looming threat to cut federal funding to cities that don't cooperate with immigration authorities has left candidates vying to convince voters they are the person who can handle the president.

On Thursday, the Trump administration released a list of dozens of counties, cities and states designated as sanctuary jurisdictions that it could go after for not complying with federal immigration laws. New York City, as well as Albany and several other New York jurisdictions, was among them. Trump has also threatened to withhold funding to New York as he fights to end congestion pricing in Manhattan.

City Comptroller Brad Lander, who is among the Democratic hopefuls, is campaigning against the Trump administration's decision earlier this year to claw back millions in federal funding for migrant housing and services.

"Lander stood up to Trump and Musk when they stole $80 million from us," a recently-released campaign ad for Lander says. Lander was among the Democrats who pushed Mayor Eric Adams to file a lawsuit against the federal government and Trump over the funds. "As your mayor, I'll fight for you," the 55-year-old Lander says, jabbing at a heavy bag.

Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, 67, the Democratic front-runner according to the latest polls, used Trump as a foil at a recent mayoral forum hosted by the United Federation of Teachers. He told the roomful of educators that the White House is out to destroy public education.

"We have beaten Trump during Covid, time and time again, and he knows that. So I don't think he's going to be all that eager to come in here and go another few rounds with us," Cuomo said, without offering specifics.

The two men, both from Queens, have a history that predates Trump's ascendancy in the Republican Party, Cuomo said. They also battled in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic over medical resources and testing policies, when Cuomo was New York's governor and Trump was in his first term.

Legal intervention

While Trump looms over the Democratic primary election, the Justice Department has made moves that could shape the city's leadership for the next four years.

Adams' push for a second mayoral term nearly came to a halt after he was indicted on bribery charges last year. A few months later, the Justice Department under Trump changed its position, saying that Adams was targeted for political reasons and that the prosecution interfered with his ability to fight illegal immigration and violent crime.

Eventually a federal judge permanently dismissed the case against the 64-year-old Adams. Adams and Trump have denied accusations of a quid pro quo relationship with the White House.

The dismissal's effect has been a mixed blessing for Adams. He didn't need to go to court to defend himself from bribery charges, but his legal problems hobbled his fundraising and blunted his messaging.

The doubt about his political future opened the door to primary challengers, including Cuomo, who entered the Democratic primary field in March.

The dismissal of the case came too late for Adams to make his best showing in the ranked-choice primary in June, he said, so he opted to skip the primary completely and gamble on winning the November general election as an independent. He is running on two party lines of his own: "Safe&Affordable" and "EndAntiSemitism." The latter is a strategic challenge to Cuomo's attempts to woo Jewish voters.

Cuomo also formed his own party line for the November ballot.

"Fight and Deliver" will help create the "largest possible coalition" between the party faithful, disillusioned Democrats and even Republicans who might want to vote for him without going blue, he said. If he doesn't win the primary, "Fight and Deliver" may allow him to run in November regardless.

The Justice Department under Trump has also opened a criminal investigation into Cuomo in response to a referral from some House Republicans.

The federal probe is investigating accusations that the former governor had lied to Congress about his actions during the early days of the Covid-19 outbreak. Thousands of elderly New Yorkers died from the coronavirus after being transferred from nursing homes to hospitals during the height of the pandemic.

Cuomo immediately campaigned off the investigation. "If Donald Trump doesn't want Andrew Cuomo as mayor, you do," was the tagline in his ad released less than 24 hours later.

Fighting the front-runner, with limits

Since Cuomo entered the Democratic primary, his competitors have been aligned against him. Their ads and messaging cast Cuomo as a politician of the Trump mold.

The main candidates -- Lander, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, Queens Sen. Jessica Ramos, former City Comptroller Scott Stringer, and Brooklyn Sen. Zellnor Myrie -- have been in lockstep on telling voters, "Don't Rank Cuomo."

But none want to appear acquiescent to any actions from Trump -- even if the target is the Democrat they most want to be rid of.

Mamdani, who has been trailing Cuomo but closing the gap in second place, said the former governor had a corrupt career, but Trump can't be trusted to pursue justice with the latest probe.

"While I believe New Yorkers should reject the disgraced ex-governor at the ballot box, the Trump administration's actions are dangerous," Mamdani said.

Write to Ginger Adams Otis at Ginger.AdamsOtis@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 31, 2025 21:00 ET (01:00 GMT)

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