Adams, one of the most high-profile and powerful Democrats in New York, was federally indicted Wednesday on charges of corruption, bribery, and receiving foreign campaign contributions. Republicans were quick to pounce on the announcement, especially after a string of several investigations involving the mayor and members of his administration.

House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) called Adams’s indictment the “culmination of the cult of corruption” involving New York Democrats and argued it would help boost the GOP’s chances for the presidency and control of Congress.

“Of course, Eric Adams should resign,” Stefanik said. “New York Democrats will pay the price for this corruption and incompetence in November, and Republicans will sweep this November.”

The House Republican campaign arm is already taking advantage of the situation, arguing that New York Democrats will try to distance themselves from Adams “like rats fleeing a sinking ship.”

“We are ready to remind voters that his enablers running for Congress own every one of his moral, ethical, and policy failures,” said Savannah Viar, National Republican Congressional Committee spokeswoman, in a statement. “During Adams’ tenure, he and his cronies permitted crime to run rampant, allowed corruption to fester, and used American taxpayer dollars to pay hand over fist for illegal migrants to stay in New York – all while cowardly congressional candidates nodded along.”

However, Democrats are brushing off claims that this will hurt congressional incumbents or candidates in the 2024 election. Instead, they argue, it places Republicans at a crossroads whether to continue with their claims of a two-tiered “weaponized” justice system — a stance taken by many Republicans after former President Donald Trump was indicted in multiple cases at the federal and state level.

Operatives have been quick to point out that the Department of Justice has levied cases, some successfully so far, against first son Hunter Biden, former Democratic New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, and Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX).

“Elise’s hypocrisy literally knows no bounds,” a New York Democratic operative told the Washington Examiner. “How the hell do you call on an indicted mayor to resign when you support an actual convicted felon for President? The people scrambling today are the swing-seat Republicans, not the swing-seat Democrats. They can’t decide which flavor of bullshit to peddle.”

New York Democrats such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) have called on Adams to resign. At the same time, top congressional figures such as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) have addressed the “serious” charges against the mayor.

“No one is above the law, including the mayor of New York City,” Schumer said in a long-awaited statement after dodging reporters’ questions. “The charges are serious, and the legal process should now play out speedily and fairly.”

For Adams’s part, he told supporters Thursday that he is not resigning and vowed to fight the allegations against him. Several state Democrats have called on him to step down, while others have pressed that he is innocent until proven guilty.

People on both sides of the aisle have argued that the DOJ is prosecuting Democrats who have spoken out against President Joe Biden, such as Cuellar and Menendez, but some strategists have found that argument to be filled with holes.

“Here’s the thing, the Right can’t have it both ways,” New York-based Democratic strategist Jon Renish told the Washington Examiner. “[Biden] can’t both be a stumbling, senile, incompetent grandpa or great grandpa, while at the same time this, you know, extraordinarily powerful evil genius who’s controlling everything. Like guys, which is it? Make a decision.”

Renish said “no” when asked if the federal indictment of Adams had any effect on vulnerable House Democrats such as Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY), stating that it’s “totally separate.”

Not all Democratic strategists agree. Veteran Democratic strategist Hank Sheinkopf said the indictment will “absolutely” be a problem for Democrats in the 2024 election because it vindicates those in suburbs that their “greatest fears are real” and “they have to stop them from destroying their lives.”

“Their deepest concerns are that somehow what is going on in the cities, and particularly New York City, will seep across the county line, into their districts, into their homes,” Sheinkopf told the Washington Examiner.

Agreeing with Renish, Sheinkopf thinks that while the indictment will cause problems for Democrats, it will also cause problems for Republicans because that argument has not proven to be credible to voters.

“It’s hard to make people believe that a Democrat president is going after people of his own party,” Sheinkopf said. “If you take the argument that the Justice Department is this conspiratorial entity, then the reality becomes that it can’t work both ways. You can’t have it all ways.”

A spokesman for Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY), who is facing his own scandal for allegedly hiring his mistress and fiance’s daughter, thinks the indictment will aid Republicans in highlighting national Republican talking points, such as crime.

“New Yorkers have been forced to endure a deteriorating public safety situation and chaos at all levels under Democratic rule in the Empire State, which underscores the need to ensure the failing agenda of New York City Democrats is not foisted upon Long Islanders by progressives posing as moderates,” said Matt Capp, spokesman for D’Esposito, to the Washington Examiner.

To combat this, Sheinkopf said New York Democrats need to find stable arguments they can point to where they have been “the progenitors of that stability, through either effective anti-crime legislation or related kinds of activities.”

He added that Democrats should avoid discussions on taxes and crime overall and instead point to reproductive freedom, a significant healthcare policy that, along with abortion, is a major concern for 2024 votes.

Sheinkopf thinks that the indictment could drive out black voter turnout at the ballot boxes.

“[They’ll] say, ‘Wait a second, we have to defend our guy because this is part of the conspiracy,’” said Sheinkopf, pointing to a similar notion held by supporters of Trump. “African Americans and other minority groups may feel, in fact, the Adams indictment and similar kinds of behaviors are nothing more than a conspiracy against them.”

“And more often than not, as a selling argument, that works,” he added.

Cami Mondeaux and Samantha-Jo Roth contributed to this report.