Mayor Eric Adams has ended his reelection campaign, a stunning turn in New York City politics that underscores just how desperate party leaders have become to blunt Zohran Mamdani’s march toward City Hall.
The announcement comes after weeks of mounting pressure on Adams to bow out. Polls had him languishing in fourth place behind frontrunner Mamdani, independent Andrew Cuomo, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa.
“It’s been an honor to be your mayor,” Adams said, touting what he described as first-term successes before conceding: “I know I cannot continue my campaign.” He pointedly refused to endorse another candidate, instead warning voters against “radical ideals” and attacking Cuomo’s “flip-flops.”
The decision is the culmination of a remarkable downfall for Adams, once a swaggering former NYPD captain who rode into office promising to restore order and pride to the city. His first term became mired in scandal — including a five-count federal indictment on bribery and fraud charges, later dismissed by the Trump Justice Department — and the arrest of close advisers on separate corruption schemes.
Party operatives say Adams’ departure is aimed squarely at consolidating anti-Mamdani votes. The Democratic Socialist lawmaker has consistently led polls since ousting Cuomo in the June primary. With Adams gone, strategists hope Cuomo can reclaim enough centrist Democrats and independents to overcome Mamdani’s energized base.
But complications remain. Sliwa has insisted he will stay in the race as the GOP standard-bearer, brushing off pleas from Trump officials to step aside. Insiders say White House aides even dangled a federal ambassadorship for Adams if he quit — an offer that fizzled after negotiations soured.
Adams’ retreat leaves a political vacuum. He will still appear on the November ballot alongside long-shot independent Jim Walden, raising the risk of continued vote-splitting. His exit statement also made clear he intends to remain a force: “This is the end of my campaign, not the end of my public service. I will keep fighting for our city because I am a New Yorker.”
The move spares Adams from a humiliating electoral defeat, but it cements his legacy as one of the shortest-lived and most turbulent mayoralties in modern New York history. For Mamdani’s opponents, it raises the stakes even higher: the path to stopping him now depends on uniting behind Cuomo — and convincing voters that one bruised Democratic machine can still hold the line.
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Really crazy that the choices for democrats are either a murdering zoneh or an antisemitic socialist
Sliwa has tried garnering the Jewish support by going to a couple of young israels