Eric Adams’ effort to run on an ‘EndAntisemitism’ ballot line could itself be ending

This piece first ran as part of The Countdown, our daily newsletter rounding up all the developments in the New York City mayor’s race. Sign up here to get it in your inbox. There are 75 days to the election.

Like The City’s Katie Honan, who turned over to law enforcement a bag of chips filled with folded bills handed to her by an Eric Adams ally, we would certainly not accept a bag of cash from any campaign or official. But that didn’t stop us from debating what snack sack would be the best-designed attempted-bribe-holder for us. Our conclusion: Bamba all the way.

Here’s today’s New York City mayoral election news.

⚖️ Eric Adams’ impossible choice

• Adams is in a pickle with his ballot line: He has to choose between the bodies “Safe & Affordable” and “EndAntiSemitism” by Tuesday, according to a letter seen by City & State reporter Holly Pretsky. Adams said he would go to court to contest the election board’s decision that he had to pick one.

• Adams’ spokesperson Todd Shapiro said the campaign was still pursuing “legal options” — but he also said that Adams would certainly appear on the “Safe and Affordable” ballot line, suggesting that “EndAntiSemitism” may get the boot.

• Adams’ support among Orthodox Jews helped him win the 2021 mayoral election. His initial petition to run on “EndAntisemitism” was seen as a challenge to Cuomo, who previously called antisemitism “the most serious and important issue” in his campaign. It also presented a counter to Mamdani’s criticism of Israel, which drew accusations of fueling antisemitism.

• But New Yorkers, including many Jewish New Yorkers, say affordability is their top issue in this election. Whatever Adams chooses, the polls aren’t in his favor — a new one out today concludes he has no path to victory. (More on this below.)

💸 Battle of the billionaires

• Elizabeth Simons, a Jewish philanthropist and daughter of the billionaire investor James Simons, gave $250,000 to a super PAC supporting Zohran Mamdani last week.

• It was the largest single donation made to New Yorkers for Lower Costs, which says it is “the official support PAC to elect Zohran Mamdani as Mayor of New York City.” The PAC has raised more than $1.8 million from nearly 300 donations.

• Mamdani said in a “Meet the Press” interview days after the primary, “I don’t think that we should have billionaires, because frankly it is so much money in a moment of such inequality.” He added that he hoped to “work with everyone, including billionaires, to make a city that is fairer for all of them.”

• Simons has donated to a range of Democratic candidates and political causes. Her father was also a prominent philanthropist who gave away billions to support Democratic candidates, along with medical and scientific research.

• Meanwhile, a pro-Andrew Cuomo PAC is galvanizing moneyed New Yorkers to block Mamdani. Fix the City, which spent $22 million unsuccessfully trying to bury Mamdani in the primary, announced a new group called MainStream that said it will “protect our city from extremism.” The group had an introductory Zoom call last night, according to Politico.

• Fix the City receives much of its funding from billionaires, including influential Jewish donors like former Mayor Michael Bloomberg and hedge funder Bill Ackman. Bloomberg, who strongly opposes Mamdani’s plans to tax the rich along with his views on Israel, gave $5 million to Fix the City in June.

💻 Does Mamdani have tech support?

• Mamdani’s rise has many tech titans in a panic, including the White House AI and crypto czar David Sacks, who is Jewish, and heads of Gemini, Palantir, Coinbase and Y Combinator.

• But Mamdani has attracted the interest of some tech executives who live or work in New York City, including several who went to a private meeting with him in July, according to Wired.

• Some Jewish tech workers are pressing Mamdani on his Israel stance. At the meeting, one person asked him about the pro-Palestinian protest slogan “globalize the intifada,” which critics interpret as a call for violence against Jews. Mamdani has declined to condemn the phrase.

• An attendee told Wired that Mamdani assured the crowd he would not use the slogan, but “did not back down from his belief that Palestinian rights are really important.” The person said they found his response to be “thoughtful.”

• Despite the stances of some of their bosses, workers at big tech companies are among the most significant donors to Mamdani’s campaign. Google employees donated nearly $40,500 through July 11, more than workers from any other company or institution.

📊 Numbers to know

• Mamdani’s lead remains strong in a survey by American Pulse Research & Polling released Thursday.

• The poll predicted 36.9% of the vote going to Mamdani, followed by 24.6% for Cuomo, 16.8% for Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa and 11.4% for Adams. The margin of error is 3.9%.

• Lead pollster Dustin Olson said cracks in Mamdani’s voter base depended on the information people received about his platform. “Mamdani’s support is real and durable, but not overwhelming,” he said. “When crime and public safety enter the conversation, his ceiling shows.”

• The firm’s first mayoral poll found that half of New York City voters were deterred by Mamdani supporting a boycott against Israel and declining to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada,” while a third said the same positions made them more likely to vote for him.