Rev. Michael Blake, a former aide to President Barack Obama, will run for mayor of New York City in 2025, the New York Post reported. Blake blasted Adams over legal woes and his friendliness toward the "incoming fascist president," Donald Trump.
Blake is the vice chair of the Democratic National Committee and was a New York assemblyman from 2015 to 2021. The 41-year-old also ran unsuccessful campaigns for the House of Representatives and city public advocate.
Now, he joins the crowded field of hopefuls looking to unseat Adams. With his twin ambition to become chairman of the DNC, Blake posted to X, formerly Twitter, last week, "NYC. DNC. A New Day is coming."
NYC. DNC. A New Day is coming.
— Michael Blake (@MrMikeBlake) November 22, 2024
Blake's background includes a stint on Obama's public engagement team and other positions, though he has yet to clinch a role as high profile as the mayor's office. Instead, he railed against Adams over his federal indictment after allegedly taking bribes and campaign violations, court documents say.
Adams also has been accused of accepting "improper benefits" from a Turkish diplomat in exchange for favors from the city. "We deserve a leader who won’t have headlines about investigations but rather have headlines about jobs," Blake said of Adams.
"Never forget that on Nov. 2 of last year, when Mayor Adams literally landed in Washington, DC, for a meeting at the White House to address the migrant situation, he turned back around because his fundraiser was being raided. He decided that it was more important to protect himself than protect you," Blake went on.
Aside from the pending charges, Blake also hammered Adams on his friendliness to Trump. Blake said he will be a force against the "incoming fascist president" as opposed to Adams, who has been "literally spending every possible day" cozying up to Trump.
"Unlike Mayor Adams, I won’t use my Saturday nights trying to be close to him in a UFC fight, but I’ll actually use my nights to make sure that you are safe and secure," Blake promised. Adams had a brief exchange with Trump at Madison Square Garden earlier this month.
Blake has promised to entice businesses back to New York City with tax incentives. He's also committed to universal child care, which is typically a concept of the far left.
Others who have thrown their name in include Democratic NYC Comptroller Brad Lander, who similarly pledges many handouts and destructive leftist policies. He claims "democracy is in peril" because of Trump and plans to "fight back against any authoritarian attempts to rip away the rights of women, LGBTQIA+, immigrants, people of color, Jews, Muslims, or any other New Yorkers."
Attorney Jim Walden, who is running as an independent, sent shockwaves on Monday when his kick-off included former New York Gov. David Paterson. Until very recently, Paterson publicly defended Adams through his indictment.
Not only is he going against him, but Paterson is doing so for what many consider a long-shot candidate. "I don’t know what he’s thinking," an unnamed operative told the Post. It's likely several more announcements from other candidates are forthcoming.
New York is a deep blue city, and a more radical choice could very well throw out Adams. Unfortunately, that means the problems plaguing the city will only get worse.
