NYC Could Have Its First Vegan Mayor in 2021

Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams is running for mayor of New York City during the 2021 elections and current fundraising standings are in his favor. To date, Adams has raised $1.68 million from a diverse group of donors to fund his mayoral campaign, with his competitors Scott Stringer and Ruben Diaz, Jr. trailing behind at $1.073 million and $738,797, respectively. Adams transitioned to a plant-based diet in 2016 after a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, symptoms of which he has drastically reduced since going vegan. During his career as Brooklyn Borough President, Adams successfully launched several plant-based initiatives, including working with local school districts to introduce vegan lunch options, promoting vegan challenges to clergy members and politicians, and spearheading a plant-based medicine program within the city’s largest medical system NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue. “We are in a health crisis, and right now our government is feeding the crisis; whether in our schools, our prisons, or our senior centers, I will ensure all agencies that provide food for the public will serve meals that added to a healthy lifestyle. The science is clear that those meals are plant-based,” Adams told VegNews. “I’ve seen what education about plant-based eating can do—it saved my life, it saved my mother’s life. Whether we can inspire someone to leave animal products off their plates for reasons stemming from health, the environment, or animal welfare, the education needs to start now and New York City is going to lead the way.” In addition to Adams, fellow vegan politician Helen Rosenthal will be running in the 2021 elections for NYC Comptroller.