Line goes up in Hell Gate's annual report, so subscription prices go down! This week only during Hell Gate's Biggest Year Ever, Biggest Sale Ever get 34 percent off all annual subscriptions.
And the next Hell Gate quarterly event is coming up, and trust us, it'll be music to your ears! Join us at Trans-Pecos on Wednesday, 10/8, at 7 p.m. for an evening of musical acts that feature some of the best reporters and editors in New York City. Tickets are on sale now, but Believers and Supporters can access a limited number of free tickets (check your email for a code we sent you last week).
State of the Race in 30 Seconds
Eric Adams has dropped out of the mayoral race. Does that mean that his name won't be on the ballot when voting starts in just under a month? No. Has his exit changed the dynamics of the race? Not really. Adams has already refused to throw his support behind any other candidate, not that that would even mean much given his polling numbers. Zohran Mamdani is still the overwhelming favorite, while Andrew Cuomo hasn't gained much traction outside of his billionaire backers. And Curtis Sliwa, whom Cuomo really needs to drop out for the ex-governor to have a chance, appears to be having the time of his life staying in the race.
So what does it all mean? Well, read on.
The Mayor's Campaign Is Dead. Long Live the Mayor's Campaign
OK, you might be saying, but what do the numbers actually tell us? Well, if you look at polling on a three-way race between Cuomo, Mamdani, and Sliwa, Cuomo is still 10 to 15 percentage points behind Mamdani, with Mamdani still getting very close to 50 percent of the vote.
The more interesting question (to us at least) is what Adams will do with all of his millions in campaign cash. What happens with it? According to City & State, Adams can take the $3.8 million in his campaign coffers and possibly transfer it to a state election account, and then possibly use it to pay off his extremely massive legal debts stemming from his federal prosecution. (We've calculated he owes about $3 million to his high-powered legal team.)
Then there are all of the Adams-associated super PACs that have money sloshing around. One of those is Empower NYC, which has amassed a $2.5 million war chest to support Adams, and has been paying for text messages and palm cards largely attacking Andrew Cuomo.
The number one donor to Empower NYC? "Mighty Ducks" star turned Puertopia crypto enthusiast Brock Pierce, who just last week gave the super PAC the extremely auspicious amount of $1,111,111.
How is Pierce taking the news of Adams dropping out? Not well.
Today, Pierce, sporting a purple fedora, convened a group of City Hall reporters at Fraunces Tavern for an incredibly grim men's afternoon where he called on Adams to return to the race, kicking off what he described as the "Draft Eric Back" campaign.
"Like George Washington, Eric Adams will be called back again," Pierce told reporters. "I stand by my man. He is the apple of my eye."
Pierce, who once flew Adams down to Puerto Rico on his private jet, continued: "When I heard he wasn't going to run again, I was shocked by the blindness of this city. When asked if I want my money back, I said absolutely not."
Whom did Pierce blame for pushing Adams out of the race?
"Frank Carone sold him out. Sabotaged his campaign," Pierce said.
What did the Judas have to say of Pierce? "I had no idea who this man was until yesterday."
—Max Rivlin-Nadler