It may all come down to race. That’s the state of the political drama unfolding in New York as Governor Hochul weighs whether to remove from office Eric Adams, only the second black mayor to lead the city.

Mr. Adams appeared in court Wednesday afternoon at a hearing to discuss the Trump Justice Department’s order to move for dismissal of the bribery, campaign finance, and corruption charges against him. The motion was for them to be dismissed “without prejudice,” meaning they can be brought back at any time.

All eyes were on the hearing today, as Reverend Al Sharpton said Tuesday after his meeting with Ms. Hochul that she would make a decision about a removal after seeing what the presiding judge, Dale Ho, said. Judge Ho made no decision during the nearly 90-minute hearing and asked for “patience as I consider these issues carefully.”

Acting deputy attorney general, Emil Bove, denied any quid pro quo had taken place between President Trump and Mr. Adams, saying that no “other agreement” was made. He said that Mr. Adams’ loss of a security clearance due to the charges was interfering with his ability as mayor to aid in the Trump administration’s deportation program.

Black clergy members sat in the front row in support of Mr. Adams. The mayor denied the charges against him. “I have not committed a crime,” he told the judge.

Ms. Hochul is in a tricky situation because she risks alienating black voters if she removes Mr. Adams from office. Eight black New York State legislators sent a letter to Ms. Hochul on Wednesday warning her not to remove the black mayor. “We want to be crystal clear: we strongly oppose any move to remove Mayor Adams,” the letter says.

“As Black legislators we have seen this over and over again: double standards and unfair process when it comes to our leaders. If a move against the mayor is made without a justifiable legal reason, our communities will never forget it,” the letter says.

If Mr. Adams resigns or is removed from office, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who is black, will replace him. Still, Mr. Adams is leaning into his support among black New Yorkers, even as several high profile black Democratic leaders are calling for him to resign.

“I am the second black mayor in the history of this city,” he said at a black church on Sunday. “I am here because I am for you. I am you. One of your own is the mayor of the city of New York.”

“They want to fight me. I’m going to fight for you,” Mr. Adams said.

Despite Ms. Hochul’s public meeting — and photo op — with the Reverend Al Sharpton at her office Tuesday, and her meeting with other black leaders like City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, Ms. Hochul is likely aware of the precarious racial dynamics at play. Nearly a quarter of the city’s population is black, and she needs these voters to come out for her in her reelection bid next year.

“If she removes him, what happens to her?” a Democratic strategist, Hank Sheinkopf, tells The New York Sun. “She can’t take the risk of losing New York City votes because her polling numbers are atrocious today.”

A Republican strategist, Matthew Bartlett, agrees. “There absolutely are race implications at play,” he tells the Sun. “The governor is recognizing that, not only is removing a massive power grab, but there are absolutely internal dynamics, including racial dynamics, at play.”

Governor Cuomo is likely making the same calculation with his silence on Mr. Adams future or whether Ms. Hochul should intervene. Mr. Cuomo is clearly targeting black voters with his Sunday sermons at black churches, his Valentine’s Day campaign-style video at a Harlem community center, and his recent endorsement from elder black statesman, Carl McCall, a former New York State Comptroller.

A former Democratic New York State Senator David Carlucci tells the Sun he thinks Ms. Hochul should set up a committee to investigate whether Mr. Adams can still run the city effectively. Four of his deputy mayors resigned this week. He says “regardless of the race of the mayor,” this is the right precedent to set.

“Of course that is something that is in the background of the politics,” Mr. Carlucci says about race. “But to just sweep this under the rug and say the governor is not going to investigate any further, I think would be very damaging to the governor politically. More importantly, it would cause havoc in the City of New York.”

Another Democratic strategist, Bill Caruso, thinks Ms. Hochul should let the voters decide Ms. Adams’ fate. ”I think Hochul stepping in and removing Adams may hurt the Democratic Party,” he tells the Sun. “I’m looking at this less about New York and more about where our party is right now, and I don’t think that that’s a good move for Democrats.”

To top off the New York drama for the day, President Trump’s Transportation Secretary, Sean Duffy ordered a halt to congestion pricing tolls on Wednesday, saying the tolls are “a slap in the face to working class Americans and small business owners.”

Is this a warning shot from Mr. Trump to Ms. Hochul? Mr. Trump has expressed his disdain for the program launched earlier this year, but the timing is conspicuous.

“The cameras are staying on,” Ms. Hochul posted to X in defiance.

“It’s a New York soap opera, and the President seems quite happy to play his part, both in terms of the policies and the politics around it,” Mr. Bartlett says.