If Eric Adams Quits, New York Could See an Epic Grudge Match to Replace Him

“A Big Fucking Mistake” • “Do No Harm” • “The 538 Model Was So Broken” [View in your browser]( | [Update your preferences](newsletter=vf) [Vanity Fair Hive logo image]( If Eric Adams Quits, New York Could See an Epic Grudge Match to Replace Him Good morning. Is it me or is the drama never-ending this year? This week, in New York, the chaos has been particularly [comical]( as Mayor Eric Adams was [indicted]( on five public corruption charges, including wire fraud, bribery, and soliciting campaign contributions from foreign nationals. The revelations from the indictment seemed to have been pulled from the pages of a political comedy (“please delete all messages you send me”). “If those charges prove true, they’re both very on-brand for Adams—combining his long-running love for international excursions and glitz with his background in law enforcement—and depressingly petty and stupid,” writes Chris Smith in our [guide]( on who could potentially replace Adams as mayor if he departs, given, you know, the scandal. Elsewhere, Lachlan Cartwright, a former editor at large for The Daily Beast, has [the latest]( on the fallout at New York magazine after its star reporter Olivia Nuzzi’s relationship with onetime presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was revealed. Cartwright relays a fuller picture of [the scandal]( and the “feeding frenzy” the story has catapulted onto Nuzzi’s life. “At New York, many of Nuzzi’s colleagues that I spoke to are of the opinion that her position at the magazine is untenable,” writes Cartwright. “Most agree that while she is talented she crossed an ethical red line. Even if the relationship did not influence her journalism, in a highly volatile election year just the appearance of bias is damaging.” Plus, we’re less than 40 days out until Election Day. Ahead of Tuesday’s debate between vice presidential contenders JD Vance and Tim Walz, veteran political strategist Mark McKinnon offers [some advice]( with one “cardinal caveat, one that echoes the ancient Hippocratic oath. The main job of a vice presidential pick is, in a phrase: ‘First, do no harm.’” And, on Inside the Hive, Brian Stelter and elections forecaster Nate Silver [discuss]( the latest odds in the race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. “I don’t think we’ve ever seen this close a race maybe since 2004,” says Silver. Thanks for reading. —Meena Ganesan, senior editor [Image may contain: Eric Adams, Accessories, Glasses, Adult, Person, Crowd, Electrical Device, and Microphone]( [If Eric Adams Quits, New York Could See an Epic Grudge Match to Replace Him]( By [Chris Smith]( [Calls for the mayor of New York City to resign are escalating after a five-count indictment was brought against him. Could his potential successor really be Andrew Cuomo?]( [Read more button](   [Where Does the Olivia Nuzzi–RFK Jr. Fallout End?]( By [Lachlan Cartwright]( [As an investigation continues at New York magazine into its star politics reporter’s relationship with the onetime presidential candidate, a fuller picture of the scandal is coming into view and the newsroom has been instructed to dummy up. “She made a big fucking mistake and now everyone is overjoyed with her downfall,” says one insider.]( [Read more button](   [Nate Silver on Harris-Trump Odds, 538’s “Broken” Model, and Why He Doesn’t Like Politics]( By [Brian Stelter]( [The statistician and polling analyst breaks down the “coin flip” nature of the Kamala Harris–Donald Trump race.]( [Read more button](   [Last-Minute Vice Presidential Debate Tips for Tim Walz and JD Vance]( By [Mark McKinnon]( [A veteran political strategist offers sage advice as the candidates are poised to enter the ring.]( [Read more button](   [Image may contain: Tie, Accessories, Accessory, Electrical Device, Microphone, Human, Person, Suit, Coat, and Clothing]( [Eric Adams, Facing Corruption Charges, May Have Found a Friend in Donald Trump]( By [Eric Lutz]( [The former president likened Adams’s legal troubles to his own, baselessly suggesting the New York mayor’s indictment was political: “I wish him luck,” Trump said in a press conference Thursday.]( [Read more button](   Get on the list Subscribe to our Hollywood newsletter for your essential industry and awards-season news, every day. [Sign Up Now](   [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn](   This e-mail was sent to you by The Hive. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, vanityfair@newsletter.vf.com, to your address book. View our [Privacy Policy]( [Unsubscribe]( Sent from Condé Nast, 1 World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007 Copyright © 2024 Condé Nast