Union DC 37 establishes a Political Action Committee to bolster mayoral contender Adrienne Adams' campaign
In a move that could shake up the New York City mayoral race, District Council 37, one of the city's largest public employee unions, has endorsed Adrienne Adams for the top job. The union first announced their endorsement alongside Attorney General Letitia James in April.
Adams, a late entrant in the race, recently qualified for public matching funds, enabling her campaign to run its first television ad. However, she has yet to catch on as a front-runner in the race.
As part of their support for Adams, District Council 37 has launched a new independent expenditure committee, named "Competent New York," to back her bid for mayor. The union has already made a direct donation of $2,100 to Adams' campaign in May and plans to put a significant amount of money behind the effort, with sources indicating that the figure is in the "high six figures."
The independent expenditure committee, like the one supporting Adams, does not face the same spending limits as campaigns but is not allowed to coordinate their actions with the campaigns they're supporting. In this case, it seems that Fix the City, the super PAC supporting Governor Andrew Cuomo's campaign and opposing Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani's campaign, has not been directly involved with Speaker Adams' campaign.
Interestingly, Red Horse Strategies, a consulting firm behind Mayor Eric Adams' 2021 campaign, is now working with District Council 37's new committee. The new committee has paid Red Horse Strategies nearly $300,000. However, it's important to note that there is no publicly available information indicating that Red Horse Strategies is providing financial support or is involved in Adrienne Adams' 2025 New York City mayoral campaign beyond their work with District Council 37.
District Council 37 has also endorsed other candidates, including Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani and state Sen. Zellnor Myrie. However, only Speaker Adams was featured at the press conference announcing the union's endorsements.
As the race heats up, it will be interesting to see how the endorsement and financial backing from District Council 37, along with the work of Red Horse Strategies, will impact Adams' campaign and her chances of becoming the next mayor of New York City.
[1] Queens Daily Eagle [2] New York Post [3] The City
Migration and war-and-conflicts could potentially impact the city's politics if the increased funding for Adams' campaign by District Council 37 leads to a stronger voice for public employees in policy-and-legislation, as Adams becomes the next mayor of New York City. General-news outlets such as Queens Daily Eagle, New York Post, and The City will likely cover the impact of this endorsement and the funding on the New York City mayoral race.
