With Adams Vulnerable, Scott Stringer explores the chance to become mayor of New York

Scott M. Stringer, the former New York City comptroller and 2021 mayoral candidate, said Thursday he would form an exploratory committee and raise money for a possible primary challenge against Mayor Eric Adams next year.

The move surprised much of the city's Democratic establishment and heralded the start of a combative new phase of Mr. Adams' mayoralty, as Mr. Stringer became the first Democrat to directly challenge the mayor's reelection.

Each primary challenge promises to be extremely difficult. No challenger has defeated an incumbent New York City mayor in a primary since David Dinkins defeated Edward I. Koch in 1989.

But few of his predecessors are as lowly regarded in the polls as Mr. Adams, who faces the city's budget woes, an escalating migrant crisis and an FBI investigation into his campaign. Other challengers may soon follow.

In an interview, Mr. Stringer gave a bleak assessment of the nation's largest city, saying New Yorkers were facing a “crisis of confidence” in City Hall's ability to manage the budget and the migrant crisis.

He cast himself as a veteran alternative, ready to replace what he derided as the mayor's “minimalist agenda” with his own policies to increase affordable housing and soften the impact of declining revenues on city coffers.

“Let's face it: Things aren't getting done,” Mr. Stringer said, referring to the mayor's “get things done” mantra. “I know how to lead. I know how to manage. And I know the city's finances like the back of my hand.”

Mr. Stringer will have to deal with his own baggage. His 2021 bid for mayor all but collapsed after an old colleague came forward and accused him of groping her and pressuring her to have sex when he ran for public advocacy 20 years earlier.

He strongly denied wrongdoing and has since sued the woman, Jean Kim, for defamation. But he finished that mayoral race with just 5 percent of the vote and has not held office since.

And Mr. Adams, despite his woes, enters the reelection fight with an overflowing campaign war chest, the backing of powerful labor unions and strong backing from African Americans determined to deliver a second term to the city's second black mayor.

Yet Mr. Stringer and other Democrats who see a political opening appear increasingly convinced that Mr. Adams could be deeply vulnerable. Public polls show his approval rating at just 28 percent.

Other potential challengers include State Senator Jessica Ramos of Queens; former Governor Andrew M. Cuomo; Jumaane Williams, city public advocate; and Kathryn Garcia, the New York state operations director who finished second in the 2021 Democratic primary. All have discussed possible campaigns with allies in recent weeks and may now face pressure to accelerate their plans.

Mr Stringer, 63, said he would begin a listening and fundraising tour of the city in the coming days. He plans to make a final decision on his candidacy in the second half of the year.

A former state assemblyman, president and comptroller of the Manhattan borough, Mr. Stringer made a promising entry into the 2021 race for mayor, drawing the support of key labor unions and the left-wing Working Families Party and drawing on three decades of experience in public offices to produce extensive policy books.

But he struggled to gain traction in a crowded race at the height of the pandemic — even before sexual misconduct allegations derailed his campaign and prompted most of his prominent supporters to abandon him. (The American Federation of Teachers, the nation's second-largest teachers union, and the United Federation of Teachers trail Mr. Stringer.)

Mr. Stringer's allies believe his experience and profile could make him a more powerful opponent for Mr. Adams this time around. He has more name recognition than some other potential challengers, can claim fiscal expertise after two terms as comptroller and has positioned himself politically to appeal to both progressives who loathe Mr. Adams and more moderate New Yorkers who may worry about the direction of the city. .

The mayor's ability to easily correct course may be limited before the June 2025 primaries. He has limited control over the influx of more than 150,000 migrants from the southwest border, which has tested the city's safety net and strained its budget. Mr. Adams reversed some of the most unpopular cuts to the city budget, but the updated spending plan he released Tuesday still promised a year of tough budget choices. Libraries remain closed on Sundays and schools face significant budget cuts.

Then there is the matter of the FBI investigation into his campaign and Turkey. Mr. Adams has not been accused of wrongdoing, but the seizure of his electronic devices last year signals a serious investigation that could lead to charges against close allies, or even the mayor himself.

In the interview, Mr. Stringer said Mr. Adams deserved the benefit of the doubt surrounding the federal investigation. But he argued that the government was losing ground on several fronts.

“It has become clear to me over the past two years that New York City needs a new direction,” Mr. Stringer said. “We cannot move the city forward with a minimalist agenda.”

He admitted that the flow of migrants had placed a significant financial burden on the city. But he said he worried that Adams' tough approach to convincing the federal and state governments to take more responsibility had backfired and antagonized the White House.

“This is not a me-me-me situation,” he said. “This is about how you forge alliances.”

He called the mayor's budget approach confusing, arguing that Mr. Adams had spent weeks “doing a budget dance with himself,” threatening deep cuts that he later reversed, rather than working with the City Council to find a solution. find a sustainable path forward.

Mr Stringer lamented the sharp decline in new home construction. He said he would prioritize creating affordable housing, suggesting he is a Housing plan of 47 pages ready for his 2021 campaign. Mr. Adams' ambitious housing plans are being hampered by gridlock in Albany.

Mr. Stringer, whose 2021 campaign called for repurposing $1 billion in police funding, even found space to criticize Mr. Adams' signature priority: public safety. He attributed the decline in major crimes such as shootings and murders to national trends, arguing that the city was spending a fortune on officer overtime in exchange for merely “flatlining” key crime statistics.

In recent weeks, Mr Stringer has hinted at his interest in a possible run. It is striking that he was a host a reunion from former aides earlier this month; several left with the distinct impression that he was running. He has already planned several fundraisers.

His early action appears to position him as a contender in a special election if Mr. Adams were indicted and resigned.

“This is no longer a time to play checkers, this is a time to play strategic chess,” Mr. Stringer said. “We need a mayor who knows how to govern and lead, but who also really understands how government works.”