On Thursday, the candidates for mayor were sharing a virtual dance. By Friday, one of them turned his dance move into a body slam.

What You Need To Know

  • Andrew Yang has scaled down his universal basic income proposal for the New York City mayor's race, promising to help 500,000 New Yorkers get more cash

  • Eric Adams is attacking the supposed front-runner for giving false hope to New Yorkers

  • It's the first major fight of the mayor's race, which has been cordial until now

“We do not need empty promises from hollow salesmen,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams. "When there is an election, salesmen come into our neighborhoods trying to buy votes with promises. They weren’t there when the pipes froze at a NYCHA complex.”

Speaking in front of the Association for a Better New York, Adams took aim directly at former presidential candidate and current mayoral candidate Andrew Yang. Adams never directly named Yang, but mentioned his signature policy. 

“Some have false promises like falsely selling a UBI. We all know that's a UB lie,” Adams said. "A false plan with false promises that states you will give $2,000 a year to 500,000 New Yorkers is just snake oil.”

Yang fired back. 

“At this point, 85 percent of Americans are for cash relief during the pandemic, and the majority of Americans are for some sort of cash relief in perpetuity," Yang said. "I am sure when Eric talks to his constituents, he would find that that’s true of the people of Brooklyn and New York City as well."

Yang was in Chinatown Friday morning. We asked about the recent criticism. 

“I am much more focused on solving the problems of New Yorkers, but I will leave it to other candidates to lead their campaigns the way they see fit,” he said.

This is not the first time Adams has gone after Yang. Adams is trying to paint him as an outsider who is unfamiliar with the ways of New York City politics.  

Meanwhile, Maya Wiley received a big endorsement, from Rep. Nydia Velazquez. 

“There is no greater honor for me than to be endorsed by the power house leader that is Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez,” Wiley said during a press conference in Manhattan. 

Velázquez is a big name in Brooklyn politics, and could be see as a boost for the Wiley campaign.

Regular New Yorkers may not pay attention to endorsements like this, but they do have a tendency to lend some credibility to a campaign, especially if that candidate is behind. After all, the front-runner is usually the person that is under attack.