Editor's Note
Editor’s note: Don’t count out Adrienne Adams
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s running mate came late to politics – and she’s proven she has no interest in leaving.
Adrienne Adams is thriving in her second act – and she could become the state’s No. 2. Gerardo Romo/New York City Council Media Unit
I’ve learned to never count Adrienne Adams out of a race. When the New York City Council speaker race was at a fever pitch in 2021, I reported that she’d fallen out of contention. Days later, she emerged as the compromise candidate and won the seat.
When candidates were lining up for 2025, I told everyone Adams didn’t have that ambition, and she would be the first council speaker who didn’t run a losing bid for higher office. Then she jumped in late and ran for mayor in 2025. She lost, but she succeeded in her real goal of making sure Andrew Cuomo lost too.
And when Gov. Kathy Hochul was looking for a running mate this year, I thought Adams would want to stay far away from the job requiring long travel days to ribbon-cuttings. Fool me three times – she accepted the role that other politicians turned down.
It’s a remarkable path for Adams, made even more so by the fact that politics is her second act.
A lot of ink has been spilled about young people getting involved in New York politics and making an impact. I should know – I caught the bug early. But as City & State recognizes our annual 50 Over 50 honorees, I wanted to highlight the LG candidate who lived a whole life before getting involved in local politics. Adams was a flight attendant, then a corporate trainer before she joined her local community board at age 48. She was elected chair at 52, lost a state Senate race at 55 and won her first term on the City Council at 56.
What’s next, governor in 2030, at 69? I would assume not – but you can never count Adams out.