POLITICO NIGHTLY: How an incumbent mayor became an underdog in Chicago

 

View in browser   BY CALDER MCHUGH KOCH PROPAGANDA: Presented by Americans for Prosperity Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot participates in a forum with other mayoral candidates. | Erin Hooley/AP Photo CRIME AND PUNISHMENT — It’s not easy to unseat a big-city mayor, particularly in Chicago, the nation’s third-largest city. Richard J. Daley and his son, Richard M. Daley, served in the post for more than 40 years combined. Between 1989 and 2019, Chicago only had two mayors: the younger Daley and Rahm Emanuel. But after one term in office, Mayor Lori Lightfoot looks to be in trouble. While there isn’t much public polling, surveys in recent months suggest she’s trailing Democratic Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia in the Feb. 28 election. And in a crowded field of candidates, Lightfoot might even be in danger of not making the April runoff that will take place if no candidate receives a majority of the votes. When Lightfoot was first elected in 2019, she was feted as the first Black woman and first openly gay mayor of Chicago. While she has won praise for progress on her community development plans on the city’s South and West sides, Lightfoot has battled with unions representing police officers and teachers, and opponents are hammering on the point that she hasn’t done enough about the crime rate in the city. To discuss the Chicago mayor’s race, Nightly spoke with Shia Kapos , the author of POLITICO’s Illinois Playbook. This conversation has been edited. Why does it look like Mayor Lightfoot is in trouble? Like big-city mayors all over the country, she’s taken the blame for all the socio-economic, societal and institutional impacts of Covid-19 and the George Floyd protests, which have included a spike in crime and carjackings. It’s happening across the country, but in a big city like Chicago, where crime has always been an issue, it’s even more so. Now she’s facing eight challengers. What is it, specifically, about how Lightfoot has responded to those issues you mention that’s made her vulnerable to those challengers?  A lot has to do with perception. Many of Chicago’s residents — those who live in neighborhoods with historically high and historically low crime rates — are frustrated with her performance and see crime rising around them. Lightfoot is putting more resources into neighborhoods to combat crime on the ground, but it’s not something that can be fixed overnight. The Police Department has released numbers showing murders are down and carjackings are down. But that hasn’t seemed to change perception. Some people think it’s as dangerous as it’s ever been in Chicago, which isn’t true. Statistics from the 1980s and ’90s show that. So along with battling eight challengers for her job, Lightfoot is trying to get a message across that the city is turning a corner on crime. Who are Lightfoot’s most significant challengers? Congressman Jesus “Chuy” Garcia is her most formidable opponent. He has been a part of the Chicago political scene going back to Mayor Harold Washington. Lightfoot also faces six other Black candidates, who could cut into support that might otherwise go toward her. And interestingly, there is only one white candidate, Paul Vallas, a former Chicago Public Schools chief who also ran for mayor four years ago. How has Garcia differentiated himself from Lightfoot? What has he put forth as his vision for the city? And why in your view does it look like he’s in pole position? The irony in your question is that he just came out with a public safety policy statement that political observers say mirrored Lightfoot’s but for calling for the police chief to be fired. Garcia has set himself apart by saying he will be “collaborative,” which is a dig at Lightfoot, who has been criticized as an agitator. She came into office with a mandate to shake things up and piss people off and she did that — curbing power by aldermen, for example. That tough attitude works when things are going well in Chicago, but some residents see it as a problem when the city is struggling as it has been with tackling crime. There’s also an elephant in the room: her personality. Her supporters say there’s a double standard in how Lightfoot is treated. When former Mayors Rahm Emanuel or Richard M. Daley cursed, for example, onlookers seemed amused or even proud of the tough Chicago mayor’s aggressiveness. When Lightfoot does it, people have taken offense — unless it’s been aimed at former President Donald Trump. It’s a Democratic town, after all. What’s something that you’ve seen on the ground or heard from people in the know that you’ve found particularly notable or surprising? I’m surprised that individual donors aren’t stepping up more. The election is Feb. 28 and you haven’t seen as many big names backing any of the candidates (beyond union support). They’re apparently waiting to put their money on the two candidates who make it to the April 4 runoff. Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com . Or contact tonight’s author at cmchugh@politico.com or on Twitter at @calder_mchugh .         KOCH PROPAGANDA: A message from Americans for Prosperity: Dear 118th Congress: How will you be defined? Like those before you, will you be known for partisanship and political theater? Or, will you help solve the economic crises of our time? For too long, conventional wisdom has been that divided government is a free pass for gridlock. You can be the Congress that bucks that trend and makes life more affordable. Americans need you to succeed. Will you? Learn more at www.Dear118Congress.com.   WHAT'D I MISS? Eric Adams outside the West Wing following a 2021 meeting with President Joe Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images — Eric Adams pressures Biden to address migrant crisis as New York costs soar: “There’s no more room” in New York City to house asylum seekers, Mayor Eric Adams said today, putting new pressure on the Biden administration to immediately address the migrant crisis. “We’re at that point,” Adams said during POLITICO’s The Fifty: America’s Mayors, a virtual interview on the sidelines of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington. Some 40,000 migrants have arrived in New York City from the southern border since last year, with an additional 3,000 coming during just one week this month. Adams wants more funding from Washington to plug what he says could be a $2 billion hole in the city’s budget for migrant housing and other services. — U.S. prepping major military package for Ukraine: The U.S. is gearing up to announce a major new weapons package for Ukraine on Friday , as top military leaders from around the world gather in Germany to discuss how to help Kyiv in its fight against Russia, according to three U.S. officials and another person familiar with the discussions. While the next tranche will include additional artillery, ammunition and armor — likely Stryker armored combat vehicles — the U.S. is not expected to sign off on American M1 Abrams tanks, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the talks ahead of an announcement. The Biden administration currently has no plans to send the Abrams, the Army’s 60-ton main battle tank, the people said. — Senate announces hearing date on Taylor Swift’s ticket fiasco: The full Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing Jan. 24 in the aftermath of Ticketmaster’s meltdown for fans hoping to score tickets to Taylor Swift’s latest tour , it announced today. There was bipartisan interest from the House Energy and Commerce Committee, too, for answers following the Ticketmaster meltdown in November. “At next week’s hearing, we will examine how consolidation in the live entertainment and ticketing industries harms customers and artists alike. Without competition to incentivize better services and fair prices, we all suffer the consequences,” said Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), chair of the Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust and Consumer Rights.   STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING : What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today .     AROUND THE WORLD EU ENCROACHES ON PUTIN — For weeks, there’s been a new sight on Armenia’s dusty mountain roads, writes Gabriel Gavin . Among the aging Russian Ladas and imported German cars, you’ll spot a fleet of shiny SUVs with the blue and gold-starred flag of the European Union mounted on the front. Peer through the tinted glass and you’ll see half a dozen sets of body armor and helmets piled in the back. In September, towns and villages in the former Soviet Republic came under fire from neighboring Azerbaijan, while Azerbaijani troops pushed across the border to capture strategic heights. The hostilities, known to many Armenians as the Two Day War, concluded with a Western-backed ceasefire, but claimed the lives of hundreds of soldiers on both sides. Just weeks after the clashes, the first of about 40 EU civilian monitors began arriving in the region , driving out daily to inspect the tense demarcation line that divides the two South Caucasus nations, amid constant reports of shelling, gunfire and ceasefire breaches. Armenia is, on paper at least, one of Russia’s closest allies and a member of the Kremlin-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). However, as the shells rained down in September, calls from Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan for the CSTO to intervene fell on deaf ears, with the bloc eventually only agreeing to dispatch a toothless ‘fact-finding’ mission. With anger growing towards Russia as the humanitarian situation worsens, a series of unprecedented protests have been held in Armenia, demanding a withdrawal from the CSTO and support from the West instead. The EU has responded by taking a more active role in the region. On Thursday, the European Parliament will vote on a motion that “strongly condemns the latest military aggression by Azerbaijan in September,” and “underlines the EU’s readiness to be more actively involved in settling the region’s protracted conflicts.”      KOCH PROPAGANDA INTENDED TO MISLEAD:       KOCH IS STILL IN RUSSIA! A message from Americans for Prosperity:     NIGHTLY NUMBER 10,000 The number of people Microsoft laid off today — totaling almost 5 percent of its workforce — in the midst of industry-wide cuts in the tech sector, after a boom in tech jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic. RADAR SWEEP TRUTH TRENDS ON TIKTOK — TikTok is expanding the use of “state-affiliated media” labels to apply in more than 40 markets that alert users when the mobile application determines that certain content is being influenced by their local government. The pilot version of the rollout began last year after Russia’s invasion into Ukraine, when propagandist media organizations like RT, Sputnik, TASS and dozens of others had the label added to their videos. The China-based application is behind other social networks with the implementation, like YouTube, which rolled out a label for state-funded broadcasters in 2018, and Facebook and Twitter, both of which instituted similar policies in 2020. Back in March, TikTok said it would cut off content that originated from Russia in response to the country’s new restrictions on speech over the invasion, but continued to allow prominent state media accounts to post. TechCrunch’s Sarah Perez has the full report.   LISTEN TO POLITICO'S ENERGY PODCAST: Check out our daily five-minute brief on the latest energy and environmental politics and policy news. Don't miss out on the must-know stories, candid insights, and analysis from POLITICO's energy team. Listen today .     PARTING WORDS [Clockwise from bottom left] Govs. Katie Hobbs (Ariz.), Kristi Noem (S.D.), Brad Little (Idaho), Eric Holcomb (Ind.) and Kathy Hochul (N.Y.). | POLITICO illustration/Photos by AP HOME COOKING — If you’d sat in the Wyoming statehouse as Gov. Mark Gordon issued his State of the State address last week, it may have seemed as if the end times were near, writes David Siders . Not only had the “misguided” energy policies of the Biden administration “cost our nation dearly these past two years,” the Republican governor said, but “this winter, there are families in America – the richest and most advanced country in the world – living under a very real threat of freezing in the dark.” “Leaner times appear likely,” he said. “Economic uncertainties,” he added, “may conspire against us.” But Gordon did have one exception to the Armageddon he was describing: He and his state were doing a bang-up job. “The state of Wyoming,” Gordon said, “is strong, and her future is bright.” Across the nation in this season of inaugural and State of the State addresses, the sense of looming catastrophe is seemingly everywhere. In New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat and chair of the National Governors Association, suggested the “notion of the American dream is harder to achieve for too many people.” In Idaho, Republican Gov. Brad Little pointed to “flashing red lights in the economy” and accused Washington, D.C. of “driving America towards an economic cliff.” And in South Dakota, Republican Gov. Kristi Noem saw misery coming both from Washington, where “our Constitutional freedoms are under assault,” and in grocery stores she said she’s visited in recent months, where she said about a quarter of the shoppers she’s seen in line have had to put something back because they couldn’t pay for it. The remarks may reflect both the Republican instinct to play up down times with a Democrat in the White House and the Democratic instinct not to boast too hard under the same circumstances. But they also come at a time when inflation has begun to recede nationally, the job market remains robust and unemployment is at a 50-year low. Like the seasoned pols they are, the governors made a point of offering some self-aggrandizing carve outs to their forecasts of doom. Specifically, they — and their state alone — are doing it right . Did someone forward this email to you?  Sign up here .      KOCH PROPAGANDA - THE DIRTY ENERGY POLLUTERS      STILL IN RUSSIA! CONGRESS IS DYSFUNCTIONAL                 BECAUSE OF THE DIM WITS KOCH GOT ELECTED! A message from Americans for Prosperity: Congress at a Crossroads: Americans are facing a cost-of-living crisis. Divided government can’t be an excuse to do nothing. The 118th Congress can drive a policy agenda to make life more affordable by reining in spending to get inflation under control, cutting red tape to bring down energy costs, and expanding opportunities for fulfilling work. But to do that, Washington needs to rise above the political dysfunction to get things done. Americans can’t afford to wake up two years from now to a country on the same path. Learn how we can change course at www.Dear118Congress.com.     Follow us on Twitter Charlie Mahtesian @PoliticoCharlie Calder McHugh @calder_mchugh Katherine Long @katherinealong Ari Hawkins @_AriHawkins   FOLLOW US

POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, REPUBICAN GOVERNORS

 

Copied

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie received huge applause at an annual meeting of Republican governors Tuesday morning after blaming former President Trump for GOP failures in the last three elections, according to three sources in the room and a fourth person familiar with the speech.

Why it matters: The chorus of Republican office-holders calling for the GOP to move on from Trump is growing louder, driving the party to the brink of civil war just as the former president prepares to announce his 2024 comeback bid.

Driving the news: Christie addressed a room full of hundreds of people — Republican governors, high-level donors and consultants — at a hotel in Orlando, less than 200 miles north from the Mar-a-Lago resort where Trump is expected to make his announcement Tuesday night.

Christie, a former Trump ally who is now considering his own 2024 presidential campaign, said voters "rejected crazy" in the 2022 midterms and that Republicans lost because of bad candidates.

But he didn't just harp on last week's disappointing results: Republicans lost in 2018, 2020 and 2022, Christie said, with Trump the one constant who has weighed the party down across all three election cycles.

Christie, the former chair of the Republican Governors Association, pointed out that there were 31 GOP governors when he left the role in 2014. There are now 26 — five gone in eight years, all because Trump picks his candidates based purely on loyalty, he argued.

Between the lines: Christie singled out Doug Mastriano, the far-right, Trump-backed Republican nominee in Pennsylvania who lost by nearly 15 points to Democrat Josh Shapiro.

Christie said the RGA made a smart decision not to invest in Pennsylvania because Mastriano was a hopeless, lost cause.

He called for the RGA to engage in Republican primaries to prevent these extreme candidates from being nominated.

The intrigue: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, whose rising profile as a potential 2024 challenger has divided the party and infuriated Trump, was not in the room.

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu were among those in attendance.

Ducey — the co-chair of the RGA, who will be succeeded as Arizona governor by Democrat Katie Hobbs after Trump-backed Kari Lake was narrowly defeated — applauded heartily after Christie's speech.

It would seem that there are ~ 30% poorly educated and uninformed "R" voters that will never inform themselves or vote against unqualified or incompetent "R" candidates.

[In Massachusetts, "R" voters supported 2 QANON candidates who had never held office, running against incumbents. That's about the vote tally.]

I won't recite some of the "R" defeats, but voters are recognizing that even the "R" candidate who promotes incarceration & ignores recidivism costs taxpayers $$$.

"R" offers no solutions & cost taxpayer dollars.

As you know, "R" failures are numerous.

Opposing the elimination of MARIJUANA CONVICTIONS was due to $$$ from For Profit Prisons.

How does that even make sense?

~ 40 years ago, a man who worked on the highway crew in Indiana told me that when they burn the culverts on the sides of the roads, everyone gets high because marijuana is a weed that grows rampant.

Educated voters are speaking out and voting.

We still have lots of work to do, but we'll get there!

POLITICO NIGHTLY: GOP govs play final cards ahead of primaries

 

View in browser   BY MYAH WARD Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine | Gregory Shamus/Getty Images SLIDE TO THE RIGHT — In just two weeks, Ohio and Indiana will launch a busy portion of the 2022 primary calendar on May 3. And as the clock ticks down, GOP governors are gearing up for reelection across the country, making their final pitches to voters to show they’re still up for the job. From Mike DeWine of Ohio to Oklahoma’s Kevin Stitt and Brian Kemp in Georgia, state leaders are enacting far-right policies, leaning into attention-grabbing and politically charged topics like abortion, guns and the southern border. “In the months before and the weeks before a primary, you’re seeing governors and you’re seeing members of Congress really drive home messaging to their base — that they are conservative, they’re one of them, and they’re reflective of the values that come from the base,” veteran GOP strategist Doug Heye told Nightly. “This is sort of your last advertisement to your audience essentially.” DeWine’s most recent ad, according to Facebook’s ad tracker, shows him signing the “Heartbeat Bill,” highlighting a “national leader in pro-Life Legislation.” Another ad says DeWine is “protecting your Second Amendment rights,” and one touts endorsements from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and the National Border Patrol Council for DeWine’s views on immigration and the U.S.-Mexico border. The Ohio Republican, who’s managed to successfully straddle the line between staying in former President Donald Trump’s good graces while not keeping him too close, will face off with three lesser-known conservatives who could potentially split the far-right vote, likely setting up DeWine for another term. The primaries are a good indicator of who’s going to be your next governor, Heye said. In the past few years, winning the primary means you have a strong chance of victory in November. It’s worth noting that these governors each face their own unique set of challenges, and that they have their own styles for going about election-year strategy. Still, in many cases, the incumbent Republicans are shifting right, making their final plays to pull in base voters to beat out more conservative — and sometimes even Trump-backed — contenders. Kemp is playing the same game in Georgia, making moves to loosen gun laws ahead of his May 24 primary. He signed a bill last week allowing Georgians to carry handguns without a license or background check, delivering roughly a month before he’s set to battle David Perdue, who won the former president’s endorsement after Trump turned on Kemp for refusing to challenge the state’s 2020 election results. In Oklahoma, Stitt signed a near-total abortion ban last week and has vowed to sign “every piece of pro-life legislation” that goes before him. And today, led by border state governors Abbott and Doug Ducey of Arizona, 26 governors announced the creation of a strike force to “secure” the U.S.-Mexico border. DeWine, Kemp, Stitt and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis were among those who joined the effort. As for the term-limited Ducey, Trump has blasted him as a “RINO” and endorsed Kari Lake, a former TV anchor who has become a frontrunner for governor. She still insists Trump won the state in 2020. Other GOP governors’ motivations go well beyond 2022. DeSantis has made national headlines for his “Don’t Say Gay” law. And just last week, the potential 2024 candidate signed a 15-week abortion ban into law, once again building his national portfolio. Abbott is another rumored 2024 contender who likes to keep his name on the big networks and in the White House briefing room. He’s sent multiple buses of migrants to Washington, D.C., this month, and he made headlines last week for his policy, which he has since ended, that increased truck inspections, gridlocking commercial traffic along the U.S.-Mexico border. While 2024 hopefuls await a decision from Trump about whether he plans to run again, governors like DeSantis are simultaneously working to keep their current jobs while preparing for a potential White House bid, Heye said. “They’re all putting themselves in the starting gate for a race that they may not run. But if you don’t put yourself in that position, then if there is a real race, you start from way behind,” Heye said. “The DeSantis’, the Ted Cruz’s and Nikki Haley’s of the world are very mindful of that. They have to go right up to the starting line, but they can’t say that they’re running.” That’s because the first one who officially announces a run for the White House in 2024, Heye said, Trump will try to eliminate them. To see how POLITICO foresees these governor’s races playing out, use our new Election Forecast tool. Ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, we predicted how every single midterm race will go — and things are looking good for the GOP. Use the tool to see which races you need to watch this year — and who we think will win each one.   Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com. Or contact tonight’s author at mward@politico.com, or on Twitter at @MyahWard.   INTRODUCING DIGITAL FUTURE DAILY - OUR TECHNOLOGY NEWSLETTER, RE-IMAGINED:  Technology is always evolving, and our new tech-obsessed newsletter is too! Digital Future Daily unlocks the most important stories determining the future of technology, from Washington to Silicon Valley and innovation power centers around the world. Readers get an in-depth look at how the next wave of tech will reshape civic and political life, including activism, fundraising, lobbying and legislating. Go inside the minds of the biggest tech players, policymakers and regulators to learn how their decisions affect our lives. Don't miss out, subscribe today.     WHAT'D I MISS? — White House readying more security assistance to Ukraine: President Joe Biden today said he would authorize additional security assistance to Ukraine as Russia begins its new offensive in the southeastern part of the country known as the Donbas region. Biden’s remarks came as he disembarked Air Force One in Portsmouth, N.H., where he promoted the bipartisan infrastructure package he signed into law in November. Asked by a reporter whether he would be sending more artillery to Ukraine, Biden responded in the affirmative, according to a White House press pool report. — DOJ punts mask ruling appeal to CDC: The Biden administration late today said it will appeal a federal judge’s decision striking down a mask mandate for public transportation if the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention deem the mandate necessary for public health. The announcement ultimately leaves next steps in the hands of the CDC, where there have been divides over how to proceed on a mandate that was already set to expire early May. There is growing consensus among White House and public health officials that an appeal would be impractical, two people with knowledge of the deliberations told POLITICO. — DeSantis targets Disney’s self-governing status in escalation over ‘Don’t Say Gay’: DeSantis and Republicans in Florida are escalating their battle with the Walt Disney Co. amid fallout over a bill that banned classroom teaching of gender identity and sexual orientation in kindergarten through third grade . DeSantis announced that the GOP-controlled Legislature during this week’s special session will take up a bill that would dismantle the special district that has allowed Disney to operate its own local government in central Florida that is the home to Walt Disney World. — Biden administration reverses Trump-era rule limiting scrutiny of environmental impacts: The White House finalized a rule that will once again require federal agencies to consider indirect and cumulative environmental impacts of their actions , including those related to climate change. The rule effectively restores portions of the long-standing rules for how agencies conduct environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act that were altered by the Trump administration. It will allow agencies to expand consideration of environmental justice factors in decision-making — aligning with the stated priorities of the Biden administration. — Democratic Party to ban its consultants from anti-union activity: The Democratic Party is in the process of banning its army of consultants from engaging in a wide array of anti-union activity following a report that one of its pollsters had helped Amazon combat organizing efforts , according to a document obtained by POLITICO. An addendum to any contract between a Democratic Party political committee and a consultant would forbid the consultant — or any of its parents, subsidiaries or affiliates — from participating in an array of activities. That includes union-busting, aiding an employer in a labor dispute or lobbying against union-backed legislation. — Biden admin to rescind Trump ‘conscience’ rule for health workers: The Biden administration is preparing to scrap a Trump-era rule that allows medical workers to refuse to provide services that conflict with their religious or moral beliefs, three people familiar with the deliberations told POLITICO. A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed that the policy change is underway, saying: “HHS has made clear through the unified regulatory agenda that we are in the rulemaking process.” ASK THE AUDIENCE Nightly asks you: As Americans adjust to the end of the federal transportation mask mandate, we want to hear about your experiences. Have you traveled on a plane, train or bus this week, and if so, tell us about the masking environment? Did you feel comfortable traveling? Send us your responses via our form, and we’ll include select answers in our Friday edition.   DON'T MISS ANYTHING FROM THE 2022 MILKEN INSTITUTE GLOBAL CONFERENCE: POLITICO is excited to partner with the Milken Institute to produce a special edition "Global Insider" newsletter featuring exclusive coverage and insights from the 25th annual Global Conference. This year's event, May 1-4, brings together more than 3,000 of the world’s most influential leaders, including 700+ speakers representing more than 80 countries. "Celebrating the Power of Connection" is this year's theme, setting the stage to connect influencers with the resources to change the world with leading experts and thinkers whose insight and creativity can implement that change. Whether you're attending in person or following along from somewhere else in the world, keep up with this year's conference with POLITICO’s special edition “Global Insider” so you don't miss a beat. Subscribe today.     NIGHTLY NUMBER $3.5 million The amount billionaire tech investor Peter Thiel donated to Protect Ohio Values, the super PAC backing Ohio Republican J.D. Vance, according to a person familiar with the contribution — part of a broader tranche of money that has come in to support the Senate candidate after last week’s Trump endorsement, which shook up a crowded and competitive race for the GOP nomination. PARTING WORDS New York City Mayor Eric Adams | Spencer Platt/Getty Images TAX AND CONTEND — New York City Mayor Eric Adams pledged today to release unspecified “tax information,” but refused to say what that information would consist of and did not commit to releasing his tax returns themselves, Erin Durkin writes. Adams, the mayor of the nation’s largest city, on Friday would not pledge to making his tax returns public — breaking with decades of custom by past mayors, as well as the governor and president. When asked today why he was hesitating, Adams said he does plan to release information about his tax filings. “No hesitation. We’re going to release tax information. No hesitation,” he told reporters at an unrelated press conference on Staten Island. Pressed repeatedly on what that information would be and whether it would include copies of his tax returns, Adams would not say. “Tax information. We’re going to release the tax information. Now remember, I’m not required. We know that, right? So let’s be clear on that. So let’s not give the impression that I’m required. I’m not required. But we will release tax information,” he said. Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter Chris Suellentrop @suellentrop Tyler Weyant @tweyant Myah Ward @myahward   FOLLOW US

POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA