New York Mayor Eric Adams drops re-election bid
9/29/2025 7:56:00 AM
Embattled New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who has faced a federal bribery indictment and stunningly low approval ratings as the leader of the nation's largest city, dropped his bid on Sunday for a second term.
His departure from the race, a little more than a month before Election Day, leaves the contest to become the city's next mayor effectively between frontrunner Democrat Zohran Mamdani and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
Adams had struggled to raise money and trailed far behind Mamdani and Cuomo, who is running as an independent, in public opinion polls. Mamdani holds a sizeable lead ahead of the November 4 election, while recent polls showed single-digit support for both Adams and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa.
Adams announced he was dropping out in a nearly nine-minute video that showed him walking down stairs to Frank Sinatra's "My Way" while holding up a large photo of his late mother, just as he did when he voted for himself as mayor four years ago.
"Despite all we've achieved, I cannot continue my reelection campaign," he said in the video posted on X.
He declined to endorse another candidate in the race and said he will finish his term, which ends on January 1, 2026.
“I will continue to fight for this city," he said.
Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist, has alarmed much of the New York business community and some within the Democratic Party with his leftist views.
The fear among Mamdani’s critics had been that Adams and Cuomo would split the opposition vote, giving Mamdani an easy victory.
President Donald Trump, a Republican who has warned about the consequences of a Mamdani win, earlier this month suggested that Adams and Sliwa pull out of the race even as the mayor swore he would remain until the end.
Trump told Reuters on Sunday he believes Cuomo will benefit from Adams' exit.
"I think that gives Cuomo a much better chance," the president said in a phone interview. "I do welcome it."
Adams appeared to swipe at Mamdani in his remarks on Sunday.
"Major change is welcome and necessary, but beware of those who claim the answer to destroy the very system we built together over generations,” Adams said. “That is not change, that is chaos."
Mamdani released a statement in response to Adams' departure.
“On November 4th, we are going to turn the page on the politics of big money and small ideas and deliver a government every New Yorker can be proud of,” he said.
Cuomo urged voters to reject "extremist forces," in an apparent reference to Mamdani.
"We face destructive extremist forces that would devastate our city through incompetence or ignorance, but it is not too late to stop them," Cuomo posted on X.
His departure from the race, a little more than a month before Election Day, leaves the contest to become the city's next mayor effectively between frontrunner Democrat Zohran Mamdani and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
Adams had struggled to raise money and trailed far behind Mamdani and Cuomo, who is running as an independent, in public opinion polls. Mamdani holds a sizeable lead ahead of the November 4 election, while recent polls showed single-digit support for both Adams and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa.
Adams announced he was dropping out in a nearly nine-minute video that showed him walking down stairs to Frank Sinatra's "My Way" while holding up a large photo of his late mother, just as he did when he voted for himself as mayor four years ago.
"Despite all we've achieved, I cannot continue my reelection campaign," he said in the video posted on X.
He declined to endorse another candidate in the race and said he will finish his term, which ends on January 1, 2026.
“I will continue to fight for this city," he said.
Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist, has alarmed much of the New York business community and some within the Democratic Party with his leftist views.
The fear among Mamdani’s critics had been that Adams and Cuomo would split the opposition vote, giving Mamdani an easy victory.
President Donald Trump, a Republican who has warned about the consequences of a Mamdani win, earlier this month suggested that Adams and Sliwa pull out of the race even as the mayor swore he would remain until the end.
Trump told Reuters on Sunday he believes Cuomo will benefit from Adams' exit.
"I think that gives Cuomo a much better chance," the president said in a phone interview. "I do welcome it."
Adams appeared to swipe at Mamdani in his remarks on Sunday.
"Major change is welcome and necessary, but beware of those who claim the answer to destroy the very system we built together over generations,” Adams said. “That is not change, that is chaos."
Mamdani released a statement in response to Adams' departure.
“On November 4th, we are going to turn the page on the politics of big money and small ideas and deliver a government every New Yorker can be proud of,” he said.
Cuomo urged voters to reject "extremist forces," in an apparent reference to Mamdani.
"We face destructive extremist forces that would devastate our city through incompetence or ignorance, but it is not too late to stop them," Cuomo posted on X.