WASHINGTON — Two weeks after a visit to the White House, Brooklyn Borough President and New York City mayoral favorite Eric Adams returned to the nation’s capital Wednesday, this time for a meeting with members of the city’s congressional delegation.
Adams’ trip gave him the aura of a mayor-in-waiting embraced by his party and preparing to govern, although he still faces a Republican, Curtis Sliwa, in November.
“I'm a Boy Scout. You know, we believe [in] being prepared,” Adams said, framing himself as hitting the ground running.
Both New York senators as well as most of the city’s Democrats in Congress attended the closed-door meeting, which was held at the Democratic party’s headquarters in Washington. The roster of attendees included those who backed him in the mayoral primary and those who did not.
Lawmakers inside the meeting said he told them that his success in part depends on theirs.
“He came down here and said, ‘I need all of you to work together,’” said Rep. Tom Suozzi, who represents Long Island and was the first in delegation to endorse Adams.
Adams said after the meeting that they spoke about gun violence, education, and climate change. He urged them to reform the cap on the deduction for state and local taxes, or SALT. He also pushed them to fight for funding to help the city move forward.
“He was humble. He was clear-eyed about the challenges that lie ahead,” said Bronx Congressman Ritchie Torres.
“It’s great that Eric Adams came down so early on,” said Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer.
Adams’ visit came on the heels of a New York Post report that Adams, at a recent fundraiser, claimed he is “running against” the Democratic Socialists movement.
Members of that movement, Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jamaal Bowman, attended the DC meeting with Adams.
Afterward, Bowman and others downplayed any tensions.
“We ain’t talking about that, man, we ain’t caught up in that,” he said. “We’re trying to work to help the kids in the city, period. All children, no matter what.”
“It was a very positive tone from the beginning of the meeting through the end,” said Brooklyn Congressman Hakeem Jeffries.
Asked about the New York Post report and his own relationship with the party’s progressive flank, Adams said, “I'm in the campaign season. I need to show the differences on philosophy between those who I'm running against.”
“Then January 1st, when I'm governing, it's about making sure that we have everyone at the table to govern the city,” he continued.
While in Washington, D.C., Adams also dropped by the Congressional Black Caucus lunch and met with House Democratic Whip Jim Clyburn and CBC Chairwoman Joyce Beatty, according to a Capitol Hill aide.