US Rep. Dan Goldman appeared on national TV Monday morning alongside state Sen. Zellnor Myrie to announce his backing for the Brooklyn Democrat’s bid to unseat Eric Adams as mayor — a move that could potentially give the relatively unknown candidate a sizable boost.
Goldman, who represents parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn, made the announcement with Myrie on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, a show that draws hundreds of thousands of viewers each weekday morning.
“Zellnor is a true visionary. He’s someone who is really poised to lead the next generation of Democrats, both in New York City as well as the country,” Goldman told hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski. “He balances the sort of vision, the courage of his convictions, but also the very smart, pragmatic policies that our city really needs.”
Goldman, who made his name prosecuting President Donald Trump’s first impeachment, has harshly criticized Adams over his rhetoric on immigration since Trump’s election. He has also charged that Adams may have let his federal indictment “interfere” with his job of running the city.
The endorsement on national TV gave Myrie, a candidate who still has low name recognition citywide, the chance to broadcast his stump speech to perhaps his widest audience yet. He recounted how he was born and raised in the city because his parents, who immigrated here nearly 50 years ago, had the opportunity to build a life in the five boroughs.
“That ability to stay in the city, for it to be affordable, for it to be livable, and, most importantly, for it to be safe, is slipping away for too many of us,” Myrie said. “I think people want two things. It’s simple. They want to be able to afford to stay here, and they want the city to be safe, and that’s what I plan to do.”
While Myrie has shown a steady ability to fundraise, with the help of the city’s generous public matching funds program, he has not been able to break out of the single digits in polls of the current field.
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has not officially jumped into the race, has led most public polls of the crowded contest by a healthy margin.
On MSNBC, Myrie also took the opportunity to blast Mayor Adams over widespread speculation that he is currying favor with Trump to get out of his legal troubles—either through a pardon or dropping the charges against him.
“I don’t think that’s any person’s view of justice, one where you can play to a pardon and then get that,” Myrie said in response to a question from Rev. Al Sharpton, a longtime Adams ally.
“I think people expect the mayor of this city to lead in this moment and to do so in an uncompromised way,” Myrie added.
