Many have assumed that former Democrat presidential candidate Andrew Yang would be a shoo-in to win election as the next mayor of New York City given that he’s a well-known quantity and has led the polls for some time. However, current Mayor Bill de Blasio is on his way out after two ignominious terms, leaving the Big Apple with a crime rate spike not seen since the 1970s thanks to his commitment to hard-left identity politics that sees virtue signaling as effective policy action. That means there’s an opening for another kind of virtue that deserves some signaling for a change.

As noted above, Yang appeared to be a lock for mayor since he had a comfortable lead in the Democrat primary polls — that is until recently when a new poll showed police veteran Eric Adams surging into the lead. This sudden lead change likely has everything to do with New York’s rising crime, which Adams has been frank about addressing.

There may be numerous reasons why Adams is giving Yang a run for his money, but one of the more interesting things about Adams is his embrace of the Second Amendment, a decidedly non-Democrat position these days.

In an interview last year, Adams was asked, “So, as mayor, would you carry a firearm on you even with a security detail?” Adams responded, “Yes I will, number one.” He then added, “And number two, I won’t have a security detail. If the city’s safe, the mayor shouldn’t have a security detail with him. He should be walking the street by himself. Number three, the hypocrisy of those who are citywide officials who said you shouldn’t have guns in church, those guys that walk in with them — they got guns.”

To recap, an individual has the right to bear arms, a safer city is the goal, and criminals don’t abide by the law. That sounds downright … sensible.

“Having been a police officer for 22 years, Adams understands the crisis. He articulates a clear, firm and common sense route to cleaning up our streets,” says the New York Post editorial board in its endorsement. “Adams understands the challenges officers face and the overwhelming good they do.”

No matter Adams’s other policy positions, which are decidedly on the left, it’s a rare breath of fresh air to hear a Democrat actually embrace and defend the Second Amendment. Sadly, it appears that it takes a massive spike in crime to convince New Yorkers that maybe — just maybe — the right to bear arms to defend one’s life and property is fundamental to countering lawlessness.