Who is Eric Adams, the new mayor of New York?
Adams, 61, is one of six children born to a single mother in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens.
His political origin story, which he has often used to trace his career, begins with his arrest at age 15, and the assault by an officer while in custody.
Later, as an agent himself, he protested against police violence and promoted the reform of “culture” from within the ranks. Formed 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care to campaign against racial profiling.
From Police to Politician: The Adams Path
He retired from the NYPD in 2006, after 20 years on the force, to run for a seat in the state Senate, where he represented parts of downtown Brooklyn in Albany until 2013. He was then elected as the first African-American man to represented Brooklyn as district president.
From 1997 to 2001, he registered to vote as a Republican, though he followed a more traditional Democratic platform as a state senator in Albany, where he supported efforts toward marriage equality in 2009 and 2011.
With a reputation as both a cocky opportunist and a brooding executive, Adams has campaigned as “the candidate of the people” and as a “moderate” New Yorker connected to the lives of working people.
But he has also secured the support of Democratic Party bosses, real estate developers, labor unions and other powerful politicians, with a campaign fund that amounted to nearly $ 8 million when early voting opened, according to the New York City Campaign Finance Board.