Sunday in the NYC Mayor's Race: Adams and Mamdani Attend Church, Cuomo and Sliwa Target Crime

Mayoral Candidates Engage Voters Amid Rainy Weather

New York City’s four leading mayoral candidates had a busy Sunday, despite the rainy weather. Each candidate spent time engaging with voters, highlighting local issues, and pushing their campaign messages as the much-anticipated election draws closer. Their days were filled with activities and speaking engagements that reflected their campaign priorities for New Yorkers across the city.

Adams Visits Churches in Brooklyn

Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who previously stated he was staying in the race to the end, spent September 7 visiting several churches in Brooklyn. At St. Paul Community Baptist Church, he spoke with congregants about various issues, emphasizing his accomplishments in office, particularly regarding the foster-care system.

"Peel back all the noise, all the constant attacks, peel back all of that and look at what I did in three years and eight months," he said. "Who's the majority of those children in foster care? Black and brown. I'm paying the college tuition of foster-care children and giving them a stipend. And they're not aging out at 18 anymore. I'm giving them life coaches until they're 21."

Adams also took to social media to criticize his opponents, Queens Assembly Member and Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani and independent candidate and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, calling them “spoiled brats” who come from “rich” families.

“They don’t know the grind of a 9-5, the weight of overdue bills, or the fear of losing a home,” he wrote. “I lived it. That’s why I’m going to keep delivering for real New Yorkers, because I AM a real New Yorker.”

Mamdani Talks Childcare and Visits Church

Zohran Mamdani, the frontrunner and socialist in the race, spent the morning outside City Hall in Lower Manhattan, rallying with local parents to expand universal child care. He discussed the need to build on a pilot program recently passed in the city budget to provide hundreds of free seats for children ages 2 and younger.

“As kids head back to school, families across the city are feeling the strain of the crushing child care crisis. What once seemed impossible — Universal Pre-K — is now an essential service,” he said. “It’s time to do the same with 2-Care and ensure working families can afford to stay and thrive in our city.”

Later, Mamdani attended service at the Evangelical Crusade Christian Church in Brooklyn, where he was welcomed by Rev. Dr. Samuel Nicholas.

Cuomo Discusses 100-Day Agenda in Queens

Andrew Cuomo, the independent mayoral candidate, was in Queens, where he discussed his “First 100-Day Agenda” at Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church. His plan focuses on promoting innovation and job creation, tackling affordability by eliminating taxes on working families, and improving public safety by hiring 5,000 additional police officers.

“We have to get police working with those groups, forging partnerships. It won’t work if the community believes the police are the enemy,” he said. “In the first 100 days, I want every precinct in this city to sit down with the community and come up with a plan to stop gun violence and gang violence. We will get that done.”

Sliwa Focuses on Subway Safety

Curtis Sliwa, the Republican and Independent candidate, held a press conference at the 72nd Street subway station focusing on subway safety. He addressed recent attacks, especially against women, in response to a brutal attack on a 48-year-old woman in the Union Square subway station.

“Another day, and another attack on women in our subways,” Sliwa said. “Let's stop this nonsensical talk about who’s dropping out of the race and instead focus on what matters, protecting New Yorkers.”

Sliwa has made subway safety a major part of his campaign. His policy commitments include hiring 7,000 new police officers, cracking down on repeat offenders, and increasing repercussions for those who commit violent crimes and sexual harassment on the trains. He emphasized his support for women who feel unsafe simply getting to work, school, or home.