(New York Jewish Week) — Scott Stringer, the former city comptroller who ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2021, is thinking about taking another shot at Gracie Mansion.
Stringer, a progressive Democrat and the only Jewish candidate in the 2021 race, told several New York news outlets on Thursday that he was opening an exploratory committee aimed at another run. The filing means he can begin raising funds for a campaign.
The announcement made Stringer the first significant challenger to Mayor Eric Adams ahead of the 2025 Democratic primary. It comes as Adams’ approval rating has hit a historic low of 28% as he contends with a surge of migrants in the city as well as an FBI investigation.
Stringer, who also previously served as Manhattan borough president and as a state assemblyman, gained momentum early in his 2021 race — receiving endorsements from unions and progressives, and polling near the top of a crowded field. But sexual harassment charges that surfaced during the campaign sunk his candidacy.
Stringer denied the decades-old charges and sued the accuser for defamation. The lawsuit was dismissed because he filed it after the statute of limitation for the case.
Stringer is a former aide to Rep. Jerry Nadler, the Jewish Democrat who has represented the Upper West Side (and now Upper East Side) for decades, and cited him as one of the people he turned to for advice on Jewish issues in his 2021 bid. Stringer has also attended Congregation Rodeph Sholom, the UWS Reform synagogue, along with his wife Elyse Buxbaum, the COO of the Museum of Jewish Heritage.
He is not the only prominent former Democratic official to be eyeing next year’s mayoral race. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who resigned amid his own allegations of sexual harassment in 2021, is also considering a run.
