On Tuesday, a former Obama aide joined the crowded race to unseat Mayor Eric Adams and accused Mr. Hizuner of collusion with the “next fascist president” Donald Trump.
The Rev. Michael Blake, 41, a political consultant and former New York state assemblyman, kicked off his Democratic mayoral campaign in his hometown of the Bronx by slamming Adams over the charges against the mayor and his relationship with the president-elect.
“We deserve a leader who makes headlines less about investigations and more about jobs,” said Blake, who worked under former President Barack Obama, particularly in public engagement.
“Let's never forget that on November 2nd of last year, when Mayor Adams literally landed in Washington, D.C., for a White House meeting on immigration, he had to turn back because his fundraiser was attacked,” Blake said. said. “He decided that protecting himself was more important than protecting you.”
Blake, who served in Congress from 2015 to 2021, described himself as a “visionary moderate leader with progressive policy leanings.”
He said he would support universal child care and provide tax credits to encourage businesses to return to New York City.
Blake, a former vice chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said he will draw on his experience working across local, state and national governments to achieve his goals.
The candidate said that, unlike Mr. Adams, the mayor is “literally spending every day possible” trying to keep pace with Mr. Trump, while also taking on “the next fascist president.”
“Unlike Mayor Adams, I'm not going to use Saturday night to get close to him at a UFC fight, but I'm actually going to use the night to make sure you're safe,” Blake said of the short matchup. mentioned and said. Mr. Adams recently met with Mr. Trump at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan.
The candidate has previously run for the House of Representatives and the City Council, but was defeated in both elections.
Mr. Blake's comments are just the latest move from the crowded mayoral race field to make Mr. Adams a political pariah.
Attorney Jim Walden kicked off his independent campaign for mayor on Monday with an unexpected appearance from former Gov. Jim Walden, an ally of Adams. David Patterson.
Just last month, political insiders were perplexed by Patterson's endorsement of a leading mayoral candidate after standing by the mayor during Adams' historic indictment.
“I don't know what he's thinking,” one operative told the Post when Patterson appeared with Walden.
This week, another mayoral candidate joined the fast-paced race for June's Democratic primary.
Whitney Tilson, a Wall Street investor who has been bashing President Biden, filed the necessary paperwork late Monday pledging to reduce crime by 50%, fight corruption and solve the immigration crisis. He spoke in an exclusive interview with The Post.
Mr. Tilson has also said he will not accept campaign contributions from entities that do business with New York City, a stark contrast for voters to Mr. Adams, who is tainted by a federal indictment on bribery charges. It has become.
