Amid the sensational Democratic primary victory Tuesday of Zohran Mamdani — Muslim, self-described democratic socialist, and unabashed critic of Israel — for mayor of New York, there were growing reports that runner-up and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo was likely to remain in the fall race as the candidate of the Fight and Deliver Party.
But the mounting attention and speculation was centered on another Democrat: incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who until this week had been silent about what he will do in the general election. With President Donald Trump scuttling a Biden-era Justice Department corruption probe of Adams (who has long insisted this stemmed from his criticism of the 46th president’s immigration policies), the mayor is now considering an active bid for re-election on the End Semitism and Safe and Affordable ballot lines.
So how would a four-way race turn out? A Honan Strategy Group poll conducted hours after Mamdani’s upset primary win over Cuomo showed both of them drawing 39 percent among likely general election voters, with Adams at 13 percent and Republican Curtis Sliwa at 7 percent.
Can Adams win as an independent? At this point in the race, it appears highly unlikely. But this is precisely what pols and the punditocracy said in 1950, when another mayor of New York ran as an independent against two major party nominees and pulled off the unprecedented feat of winning.
Vincent R. Impelliteri, known as “Impy,” was selected by Democratic Party leaders in 1945 for the position of City Council President — second highest citywide office —primarily because with Irish-American Willliam O’Dwyer for mayor and Lazarus Joseph (a Jewish man) for city comptroller, the party bosses felt they needed to balance their ticket with an Italian-American.
“The perfect Throttlebottom” is how Warren Moscow, author of several books on New York politics, described Impelliteri, likening him to the hapless vice president in the musical Of Thee I Sing, “He voted as the mayor told him to, on matters he did not necessarily understand, and spent most of his waking hours shaking hands at public dinners, political clambakes, and cornerstone layings too unimportant to merit the mayor’s attention.
Re-elected in 1949, “Impy” found himself mayor when, as charges of corruption mounted, Mayor O’Dwyer resigned to accept President Harry Truman’s offer to become ambassador to Mexico. Denied nomination in the 1950 special election by the all-powerful Tammany Hall Democratic machine run by Boss Carmine DeSapio, Impelliteri sought election as an independent against Democrat Ferdinand Perotta and Republican Edward Corsi.
“Impelliteri’s wits may have been slow,” wrote historian Robert Caro, “but he had two fast wits — ex-O’Dwyer aide Bill O’Donoghue and a young sharpie named Sydney S. Barron— as PR men.” With ten weeks to create an image and a record, his PR team portrayed him as the “anti-boss,” “anti-politician,” and “anti-corruption” candidate.
Not afraid to brass-knuckle his opponent, Impelliteri’s campaign tied Pecora to organized crime and underworld crime lord Frank Costello. “If Pecora is elected Frank Costello will be mayor. But the voice will be that of Pecora.”
The mayor’s campaign also closely identified Impelliteri with the city’s master builder Robert Moses, subject of historian Caro’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book The Power Broker and subject of the recent hit play Straight Line Crazy. According to Caro, “Impelliteri privately promised Moses even more of a free hand than he had enjoyed under O’Dwyer in setting all city construction policies…Moses led Impelliteri around to officiate in the openings of—and share in the credit and front-page pictures for—highways and housing projects with which he had nothing to do…..”
Running on the newly-cobbled Experience ticket, “Impy” rolled up 40.4 percent to Pecora’s 35.1 percent, and 16.8 percent for Corsi and thus became the first independent to win the mayoralty of New York without the support of either major party.
Obviously circumstances have changed considerably in New York politics since 1950. But at this time, it seems a strong bet Adams will at least make an effort to repeat “Impy’s” insurgent and improbable campaign.
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.